Paradox
by Light Lord Cybergate
Summary: In our world a girl dies tragically, in another world a new pokemon species is born. Oh, did I mention that she has all of her former memories? Enter the paradox. Enter the pokemon of legend.
1. Death is only the beginning!

**(Edited on: 11 October 2013)**

**One Time disclaimer for all Chapters**: Pokémon does not belong to me. Instead it is owned by the video game company Nintendo and was created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996 (from Wikipedia)

This is fan fiction and is purely for my own and everybody else's enjoyment. I do not make any money out of this what so ever.

**Warning:** This is an Unbeta'd story. People who flame me because of this will be ignored, repeat flamers will be ignored some more… As is said in the disclaimer above I'm doing this purely for fun and no money is being made whatsoever. Constructive criticism and suggestions are of course appreciated and I will try to change mistakes from time to time if I see them (or if I'm told about them)…

I have no intention of ever beta reading this story. However if somebody feels like doing so then I will accept your help with thanks and I will mention their names at the top of any beta'd chapter in recognition of their hard work..

**Story Name:** The Paradox pokémon (Paradox)

**Rated:** T at present; may change if necessary.

**Pairings:** None at present may change if I feel like it.

**Time Lines:** Canon timeline with differences.

**Please note:** This story will have both first person and third person point of view.

Ok… that's it for now…enjoy!

_**In our world a girl dies tragically, in another world a new pokémon species is born. Oh, did I mention that she has all the her former memories?**_

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p>They say when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Some say that you'll get rewarded for every good action you take during your life... and punished for every bad…<p>

To live your life, then to fall at your preordained fate.

Maybe they are right…maybe they are wrong. Who cares...

I know I sure don't.

All I know is that we are put here for a reason. We have to be. Why else do we exist otherwise?

I mean...surely there has to be a purpose.

Maybe it's just to enjoy ourselves… or maybe it's simply so that we can eventually die. That is a purpose after all; a destiny, all by itself.

My own life? Well, I'm actually on my second life right now...

In fact, I'm currently several hundred years old. I could be wrong though, time, as such, has no real meaning to me. Not anymore.

My first life was not very spectacular to say the least…and quite short too. You know: Normal boring childhood, normal boring job, and…

Oh!…

I'm sorry….how rude of me…

Please...,

Let me introduce myself: My name is… or rather was: Diana Destiny Smith; a fairly common gal in a fairly common world. Of course, that was back then. Now! Now I'm only called Destiny. Destiny to a select few... A level three evolution named Paradeon to everybody else.

Yes…. that's right, I am what is known as a pokémon. I am a beast that has the ability to control and use dangerous elemental powers.

Officially... I am a pseudo legendary, one of the 'Legendary Ketchum Six,' once owned by the late legendary Champion and Aura Guardian; Ash Ketchum, now owned by his great granddaughter; Clare 'Electra' Ketchum.

Unofficially however... I am a high tier Legendary juggernaut, on par with the Deity Three, Dialga, Palkia and Giratina.

I am only a pseudo because of a mere... technicality...

But enough of that for now.

What you need to know is that I was not always a pokémon.

At one stage, I was just your everyday common female city girl, age 26, and a secretary in a local bookstore.

I'd tell you more, for example how I used to look, but then again…why bother. It's not as if it were exactly important anyway. Not anymore.

No, I'm not going to tell you much about 'that' life. It's much too depressing anyway.

What I will tell you, however, is that I was a lonely person. A loner if ever there was one.

My parents; may they rest in peace, died in a car accident a few years before my own death and I had no other relatives...not since old grandma had passed away when I was six.

Lucky me!

That was me being sarcastic by the way in case you hadn't noticed.

So!... Where was I?.. Ah!...yes!... What you need to know is that I was also a large pokémon fan back then, still am in fact, just differently now. Well... being one myself can do that to you. As it was, the knowledge I was allowed to keep from my first life really helped me out a lot later on.

Anyway, enough about little old former me, let's talk about the new…err…I mean the newer me. I am after all several centuries old right now…not exactly 'new' if you think about it. Well,... Not by human standards at least.

As I was saying, I died. I was pushing up daisies, six feet under…

Well, perhaps not exactly six feet under as that would have been impossible. I doubt there was much left of me back then to scrape of a wall, lets not even talk about putting into a grave, but I digress… I died, it's not really important how, but I died, all because some idiot woke up cranky that day and thought being a terrorist would be fun.

So! There I was…

Ah…well…talk is cheep I always say. Actions make things so much clearer. Why don't I just show you what happened. I'll even go a bit further and tell you what happened afterwards…

So! Here it is... This is the story of the end of my first life…and the start of my second life.

It all started when…

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><p><strong>CH1 Death is only the beginning<strong>

_**Several centuries ago, in a different world; one frighteningly familiar to us.**_

"Hi John," said a girl with long black wavy hair as she walked up to a small kiosk to buy her daily train ticket. It was morning time, during the morning rush hour, and like many others she was on her way to work.

"Good morning Anna, the same as usual I presume?" a man named John replied kindly, already handing out the ticket to her.

"The same as every other day John, " said the girl as she handed the man the usual dollar.

"You might have to wait a while, trains a little late today, I'm afraid,' John added as he put the dollar away.

"Oh! Why's that?" asked the girl looking up from her newly purchased ticket. She hoped she wouldn't be late today. Being late for work was, after all, never good. It made the boss cranky... and a cranky boss was...well... not good.

"Don't really know. Something about somebody protesting at the station; Said there was an anonymous tip off about a bomb on board if you would believe it," John said laughing slightly. It was pretty clear he didn't really believe it.

"Oh! That doesn't sound good," the girl said, suddenly anxious. Who could blame her, she was about to use the same train, after all.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. They checked the train, twice. Didn't find anything," John said waving her on so that he could serve the next person in the queue.

Walking towards the usual platform, Diana couldn't lose the sudden feeling of dread she now felt. She suddenly had a very strong urge to go back home.

'Maybe I should call in sick and skip work today,' she wondered as she waited. However, she quickly changed her mind when she thought of the multiple bills that were waiting on her kitchen table, back home.

'Too late now, if I don't take the train now I'll be late… besides… they did search the train…right?' she reminded herself. 'Surely they would have found something,' she thought as she saw the train arrive.

Sighing to herself, slightly cursing John for scaring her like that, she soon pushed aside her fear and boarded the train.

'At least if I die I won't have to pay the bills,' she thought, a small half smile forming on her lips as she took a seat near to the door.

'I swear those darn things multiply faster than paperwork,' she thought, her smile changing to a full one, just before the doors closed.

Several stops later she soon put John's warning out of her head. 'Only a few more stops then I'll be at work,' she thought to herself as the train started moving off again for the umpteenth time that morning.

Then it happened.

Suddenly a man got down onto his knees, put his hands together as if to pray and started to loudly call out, asking God - or a god - for forgiveness. He looked normal enough, but that act alone made Diana feel very nervous and made her heart play a tango inside her chest.

Another person soon got up and went over to the praying man.

"Are you ok?" he asked, cautiously.

The man stopped praying and looked up, a smile on his face..

"Yes, my good man… I'm fine. More than fine. Rejoice, for now we rejoin the maker of all and dine at his table."

That was the last thing anybody on the train ever heard, for a second later, the man's smile changed into a fanatic grin, then he pulled something from inside his coat.

Diana didn't even have time to blink. A loud quick explosion, a huge fireball and a massive shockwave later, everything went black.

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><p>Well…there you have it...I'm dead. Or rather, I died. And all because of a fanatic who took the meaning of his faith a bit too seriously.<p>

Well,... at least I didn't feel any pain in my last few moments. It all happened so quickly, I didn't have time to feel pain as my body was torn into multiple pieces; burnt into fine dust, before it was then then blown all over the place by the resulting shockwave.

I guess I should be thankful for that.

Seriously though... First my grandfather dies in a plane crash before I was born. Then my grandmother dies in that house fire when I was six….

My parents soon followed, both died in a car crash just two years ago…and now... now it was simply my turn. Only in my case it was due to a fanatical madman who thought it was the right time to feast with the maker…. oh what fun.

Life's a peace of shit when you look at it…and sometimes you really wonder why.

That was definitely true for me and my family…I mean come on…my family had to have been under a curse…that's just not normal.

So… here I was dead, surrounded by quiet pitch-black darkness, waiting for the grim reaper - or whoever it is that comes when you kick the final bucket - to pick me up.

Amazing just how much time a person…or rather a soul has; to think about their former life, while they wait for the ferryman of the Styx, to take them on his little boat to… wherever it is you go when you die. It didn't help that there was no ferry in sight, let's not even talk about the so-called legendary ferryman. Hell I didn't even have the dime I would have needed to pay him...

Not that I really cared about that at that moment.

So! Here I was…waiting in pitch-black darkness of death. I couldn't see a single atom of light, nothing, no light, no sound, no taste, no smell… nothing to do but think...

No real way to decrease my ever-increasing boredom… Oh what joy!

By the way that was me being sarcastic again... but I'm sure you knew that.

Anyway, let's continue…

Time has no meaning when you're dead. It's not like a soul has any appointments when their dead…well, except the one with the grim reaper perhaps…and even then they are not exactly expected to be on time for that either. It's the reaper who has to be on time for that special occasion. Of course, Deaths never late. It comes directly when it means to. Not a moment too soon... not a moment too late... In fact, one could argue, that there is no such thing as being late when your dead.

And this is where the soul of the girl who had just died...'me'... could now be found.

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><p>Diana didn't know just how long she had been in the darkness. With nothing to do but wait, time seemed to crawl. It could have been hours, or years. It didn't matter. So it was for that reason why she was very startled when….suddenly...<p>

"Good, your still here, looks like she kept her promise after all."

….a voice rang out of the darkness,

Had Diana still been alive she probably would have had a heart attack. Luckily she was already dead, so it didn't matter anymore.

The voice had, after all, originated from right beside her ear.

"Aaah!" she screamed, something, which she had been incapable of doing mere moments ago, since mere moments ago sound and therefore speech had seemingly not existed.

"He he he…gets them every time," The voice said, clear amusement in its voice.

"Who are you? Where am I? What do you want?" Diana asked, loudly at first, but then with a more normal tone of voice, quickly recovering from her shock.

"Quick to the point, eh! I like that…however, before I can answer any of your questions, I'm afraid I have one for you first," the voice answered.

"Err…ok," said Diana.

"Was it worth it?" the voice asked.

"Eh?…what do you mean?" Diana asked.

"Your life…was it worth it?" the voice clarified.

"Erm… Not really, so no!" Diana answered, somewhat confused with where this was going, but deciding it was a death thing, she decided to humor the voice and answer.

"If you could, would you live it again?"

She thought for a brief second but then answered; "Err…no…not really."

"Oh…Why not?" asked the voice.

"Well…it wasn't a very good life now, was it?...erm...why are you asking me these questions?" Diana asked. The voice however ignored her.

"I see…what if I allowed you to live it again with the full knowledge of your life so far? Would you do it then?" the voice asked.

Diana was shocked. "You can do that?" she asked.

"Please answer the question," the voice ordered.

Diana thought for a while, weighing the good and bad and was about to say yes, but then changed her mind and finally, sadly, shook her head…

"No thanks…once is more than enough."

"Oh!" said the voice. "Why not? Wouldn't you like to be able to change all the bad things in your life? Wouldn't you like to see your family again? Wouldn't you like to save them?" the voice asked, kindly.

"Well…I agree, it would be tempting," Diana agreed. "However, I would probably go crazy trying to change things…you see…I only see two outcomes, none of which interest me really," Diana said, then paused.

"Go on," the voice said, still kindly.

"I mean…in one case I'd try to change the past…or is that the future? Anyway…I'd change the past…no doubt I'd become famous and rich…and while I would, no doubt, enjoy that for a while…it would also mean I'd have no real freedoms anymore either. I might even have to hire bodyguards once people found out I could accurately foretell the future…, which is something I really don't want and something which I'm pretty sure will happen if I went back.

Oh the other hand… I could try to only change a few things, but otherwise keep the original timeline intact. I'd probably slip up somewhere…or get bored. And the fact that I could change something would continuously nag me too…so…no…I really don't want to do it again. Thanks, but no thanks," Diana answered.

"Is that your final answer?" the voice asked.

"Yes!" Diana answered, though slightly unsure.

"Are you sure?" the voice asked again.

"YES!" Diana said, this time with conviction.

"Hmm…interesting…all right, then so be it! I think you will do," the voice replied happily. "In that case I have an alternate offer for you. What would you say if I told you I could give you another life…one with your current knowledge intact, however this time you would be in a different world, different to your own, yet still similar; one which deals with certain creatures I believe you are very familiar with…"

It might have taken a few seconds for her brain to fully understand, but at that moment, had Diana still had her old eyes, they would now have been wide open in shock. "You mean…" she said, hopefully.

"Yes! That's right…the world of pokémon.

"You can do that?" Diana asked, hope, but also disbelief present in her voice.

"I wouldn't offer it to you if I couldn't," the voice answered back, amused by her disbelief.

Diana was shocked. Here she was…in a black void or nothingness, talking to a mysterious voice…a voice, which was offering her one of her largest wishes…one of her largest fantasies. It was all too good to be true. She really would not have been surprised if this was all just a large dream and she would suddenly wake up again in her bed…

"That sounds great…I'd love to…but wait…what's the catch? There is always a catch. What is it?" Diana asked, suddenly very weary and afraid again. What would the infamous catch be? she asked herself. Her soul?

"Ah yes…the infamous catch," the voice chuckled.

"Well…your right….there is a catch, two in fact…but it's not something you'll be unhappy about…I think," the voice said.

"Yes?" Diana asked fearfully. What would she have to do in return to be able to live her fantasy?

"I want you to help the hero…my chosen one…you know who he is… I want you to find him… help him in his future endeavours…help him save my world… that's all," the voice answered.

"What? That's it?…I mean sure… I'd love to…I would have done that anyway…but…

Suddenly she paused.

Wait a second!…does that mean that you're….

The voice chuckled. "That was fast…yes…I am Arceus…the god of all pokémon, the original one…though not the creator of all I'm afraid…that honour goes to somebody else," Arceus said, and suddenly a bright light appeared around him, showing him in all of his white godliness.

Diana was so shocked that all she could say at that moment was one word:

"Cool!"

The now named Arceus chuckled. "I'm glad you agree… now then, can I please continue?"

"Um…sure," Diana answered, slightly embarrassed.

"Thank you… As I was saying, I will send you to my world…but…and here is the interesting part and the other catch…not as a human.

"You don't mean!" Diana asked, shocked, yet excited.

"Yes, I am the god of pokémon after all… so obviously your going to be a pokémon…but, not just any pokémon…oh no… your going to be a new breed, something entirely different, something never seen before… something unique…something which will, no doubt, amuse me to no end…and I so love to be amused…" At this moment Arceus began to laugh. "… You my friend…will be a… Paradox," Arceus said and smiled, laughing loudly before stopping suddenly, eyeing Diana with mirth.

"Really? What type will I be? Or is that the type?" Diana asked, now very excited. She didn't care what she was about to become. At this moment she wouldn't have cared if she became a Magikarp….or something similar. Not that there was anything wrong with being a Magikarp…they did after all evolve into a fearsome Gyarados, even if they are very weak at first. She wondered what a Paradox would be though.

"Ah…but that would be telling now, wouldn't it, and I really don't want to ruin the surprise," Arceus said happily, amused by Diana's thoughts.

Diana pouted but finally nodded and agreed as well.

"So…does that mean you accept? Be careful! There won't be any turning back once you say yes," Arceus said, but didn't really expect an answer. Well…not a negative answer.

"Of course...there is no way I would say no to this," Diana answered, excitedly.

"In that case…I won't keep you much longer. Just keep in mind that you will be the first of your kind. So don't expect much help along the way. You will have to find out everything there is to know about your species by yourself. You will also appear in my world inside this unhatched egg," he said. Suddenly a large egg could be seen floating in front of her. ".…so don't be surprised if you have to hatch first…I'm told it can be a bit disorienting at first…but other than that I'm sure you will be just fine," Arceus said, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

Diana could only stare at the egg.

Her egg.

If what Arceus had told her was true. And she had no reason not to believe him. Curious about the egg, realizing she could now move, she floated forward to study it. It was nearly all black, with just a few white spots and stripes in key places along the shell. It also seemed to be shining slightly as if made out of some sort of hard shiny metal.

"I'll let you find out the rest by yourself. Consider it a surprise. I will however tell you one last very important thing before I let you go," Arceus spoke again, several seconds later.

"Oh!,' was Dianas eloquent reply. "What's that?" she asked.

"Your life will not be easy at first. Far from it. So! To help you along...and as a sort of an apology for what will come... I have taken the liberty to link you telepathically to Ash, as well as give you some unique abilities, which I hope will be useful to you as you fulfill your task.

"Now, please note, most of your abilities won't be active at first... and I hope, in the case of one, you will never need it. Your telepathic link will also not be active, at first. It will however automatically activate as soon as you become one of Ash's pokémon. Not before hand. That means; you have to be officially captured by him and have been in one of 'his' pokéballs before they will activate. This is to stop others from fully realising your potential - thereby keeping you from him-...and of course to allow you some time to get used to your body and other abilities first. Now, once it activates you will be able to speak with Ash, but nobody else. Use this to your advantage to...shall we say, steer him on the right path. I hate to say it, but the way he is now...well... we both know he is... well..."

Arceus paused.

"...let's just say he could use really some improvement," Arceus finished saying, with a small embarrassed smile.

Remembering the Ash of the show Diana sweat-dropped and nodded. Canon Ash really wasn't that bright...hopefully she could change that.

"Anyway... Until that time comes, I want you to get used to your new body...and find him. Consider finding him your first task and the telepathic ability your reward," Arceus continued after another few seconds of silence.

"Now! I'll see you…on the other side. Enjoy your new life," he said and with s brief flash of light, Arceus was gone, leaving Diana and the egg behind.

Seeing that she was alone and the only thing of interest near by was the egg, Diana reached out to touch it. The moment she touched it, Diana's world, or rather the way she perceived it, suddenly started to turn and twist. A multicolored flash of bright light later, she was sucked and squeezed right into the egg. Then, another flash of light and the egg was gone.

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><p>Believe me when I say…and take this as the gospel truth from someone who had to go through it not just once, but twice… Being born is not a nice experience. Thankfully, I don't remember my first time. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the second.<p>

Being reborn was quite an experience for me. A nasty experience. Indeed, I'm pretty sure it would be quite a horrifying experience for anybody, unless perhaps you were into masochism, and even then I'd doubt it. No wonder why most babies come out kicking and screaming.

I'm not going to go through all the facts, that would be torture, but I'm pretty sure the real reason why new-borns don't remember their births is because the brain protects them from the horrifying experience.

No new-born should be put through such torture…and I'm not talking about what happens during the period of labor, which by itself is already bad enough. I'd bet, what the woman goes though is nothing compared to what the newborn has to cope with. At least I had the luck to be reborn inside an egg and not out of a woman's... um…. I think I'll stop there…

No matter… I'm not sure how I managed to stay sane throughout it all, but after several days…or was it weeks…of being forced to experience my young body growing from a simple zygote into an embryo and from an embryo into my infant pokémon body, I was more than ready to hatch…in fact I was practically begging for it.

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><p>It was finally time to hatch! It took a while but Diana finally was able to regain some movement into her, now young, feeble limbs. It was slow at first…agonizingly slow and the nightmares didn't help much either.<p>

First she noticed a finger and from the finger, a hand. Though it didn't feel much like a hand anymore. More like a claw. Well, that was to be expected. She wasn't human anymore after all.

The next thing she noticed was the entirely different shape her new body now had. She was especially exited about her new tail. She now had a tail…cool…and…no fur? How interesting!

Soon after that she noticed that she was missing legs. Now that was the greatest surprise of all.

At first she panicked and wondered how she would be able to move, but then realized that she somehow was able to slither around on the ground, like a snake, or even float and hover above the ground, if she put her mind to it. That, she decided, would become really useful in the future.

Relearning how to use all of her new and different body parts was really annoying at first, to say the least, and really took quite a while and a lot of effort on her part. They simply did not what to obey her brains commands. It didn't help that her new body parts were so different to that of her old body. Nevertheless, she persevered until she finally felt fairly comfortable with her new body. Finally, after what felt like weeks, but was probably less, Diana finally felt she was ready to brave the new world she had been reborn into.

Eating the last of the nice tasting fluid which she had found inside her egg - fluid which Diana had quickly realized, out of pure poke-animalistic basic instinct, was the natural food found inside every pokémon egg, and which was meant for the pokémon trapped inside, so that they could get strong enough and not starve – (not breast milk but the same purpose) she gathered all the courage she had and pushed against the inner wall, which she knew was her egg's shell.

It wasn't easy, at first, being weak as only a newborn could be, but finally the relatively soft membrane that made up her shell, gave way and cracked, allowing the first few rays of light of her second life, to shine into the sanctuary which was her egg.

Suddenly Diana found she could hear sounds coming from the outside. Voices! Voices that sounded really exited. With a pang Diana realized that she was not alone.

'Who could it be? Could it be my new parents? She wondered.

'I wonder what they are. Didn't Arceus say that I was the first of my species? Do I even have parents?' she wondered.

'Well…of course I do…how else would I be born,' she argued with herself. 'Well…only one way to find out I guess.'

Her thirst for knowledge finally overwhelmed her natural fear of the waiting unknown dangers outside. Finding the courage to continue her very own Houdini act, she gave another push, then another... and another. Finally, one more push against the inner wall of her egg, she suddenly heard a loud (for her) crack as another part of the shell suddenly gave way and fell apart, allowing torrents of painfully bright light to sweep inside.

Gasping, Diana was forced to take a few moments to regain her energy and for her eyes to adapt, before she could even think to continue her exodus into freedom. Also, to complicate matters even more, the outside sounded much louder than before. Something her untrained ears were not yet accustomed to either. After several seconds of slight confusion, Diana could finally make out a few words that were being said from the outside of her egg.

"Look! It's finally hatching. Come quick! It's hatching…" said one excited voice. It sounded male.

"Oh this is so exiting. I wonder what it is…I bet it's a male," said a second voice, another male but younger.

"Nah, I bet it's female, yes definitely female. Females are always late," said a third lazy sounding voice, obviously a male.

"Hey…who are you calling late!" said a forth voice." From the pitch of the voice this one was female and sounded rather annoyed.

"Um…no one," the same voice said back, quickly.

"Shh…keep it down. You two can argue later," said a fifth voice. This one sounded older than the others, another female.

Immediately everybody quietened down. The last obviously held some form of control over the others.

Deciding that now was the right time to make her exit from the egg, or rather her entrance into the big bad world, Diana gathered a good portion of the rest of her energy and shoved. A great heave later, another loud crack and a mental cry of 'here I come,' she was free.


	2. Welcome, Little one!

**Chapter edited on:** 12/10/13

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><p>((( My trainer is so stupid ! ))) = Pokédex speaking.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Previously in Paradox:<strong>

Deciding that now was the right time to make her exit from the egg, or rather her entrance into the big bad world, Diana gathered a good portion of the rest of her energy and shoved. A great heave later, another loud crack and a mental cry of 'here I come,' she was free.

**And now the continuation:**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - Welcome, little one<strong>

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><p>Diana didn't know what to expect, as her egg finally broke apart.<p>

Oh! She knew she would be different. A new species never seen before, or so she had been told. She was certain about that much. But what exactly did that mean?

Multiple questions crossed her mind:

What would she look like... Would she become big...or stay small? Would her new parents even accept her? Did she even have parents? She asked herself as she took her first look around in a new world. She expected a few gasps of surprise and maybe a few shocked looks.

She was not disappointed.

"Well…this is unexpected..." said one of the voices from earlier, breaking the silence, the sudden shocked silence which had followed her entrance into this strange new world.

Looking cautiously towards the direction of the voice, Diana saw a small yellow mouse with sharp claws. Clearly a pokémon, which she immediately recognized, was a sandshrew. A level one evolution pokémon.

"Indeed…I have no idea what that is," said another voice.

Turning around, Diana quickly spotted the owner of the second voice. This time it was a young nidoran.

"Must be an exotic type from a different region," said the third voice, in a lazy drawl. Turning around for the third time, Diana quickly noticed the shell like form of a kakuna, while behind it again, perched on the back of a chair was a large bird. It took her a second but Diana soon realised that it was the evolved form of a pidgy, a pidgeotto. It seemed a little small to be a pidgeot.

"What I'd like to know is what type it is," the pidgeotto said. The bird was looking at Diana curiously.

For a second Diana thought the bird seemed to momentarily stare at her in a way that strongly suggested it was wondering whether she could be food. Not a nice thought to say the least. However it was soon gone as quickly as it had come.

"Quiet down and give it some room…it will do no good to frighten it right after it just hatched… NOW!" the last voice ordered sharply, stressing the last word, making it a command, which caused the others to immediately fall silent.

Turning once more, Diana came face to face with a well known large red lizard, a fire type, one which she immediately recognised was a charmeleon. By its size it was pretty clear that it was the oldest and strongest of the group.

Gulping slightly, not knowing what to expect, Diana did what most new-borns would do when surrounded on all sides by unknown scary beings... she withdrew back into the remains of her egg.

"Don't be alarmed, you're amongst friends here," the charmeleon said kindly. Diana could see her give the others a meaningful look, a look that suggested that they'd soon be in a great amount of pain if they thought otherwise.

Still not sure what to do, believing it was best to stay back, Diana stayed in the egg. All of them looked so strong and big at the moment, well…at least when compared to her. Diana felt really intimidated. The charmeleon however smiled at her and tried to look as friendly as possible.

"Welcome to the world, little one. I sense you're afraid of us. Don't be. There really is no reason for you to worry. You are, after all, part of the team now," she said. "Or at least you soon will be once our trainer arrives," she added. "None of us will harm you. We are not in the wild," she finished in a kind friendly tone.

"Well, not unless we are in a battle anyway," said the sandshrew, a comment which earned him a vicious look from the charmeleon.

"Err…I mean...no... Of course we won't attack you, you're perfectly safe here, perfectly safe, no need to worry at all," the sandshrew said, hastily, taking a few steps back in alarm at the sudden fierce look coming from the fire breathing lizard.

"At least not unless we are ordered to by… him," he mumbled, quietly, under his breath as soon as the charmeleon had looked away again. Luckily, for him, nobody else heard him.

Nodding to show that she understood and sensing no deceit in the chameleons voice, Diana decided to trust her and slowly crept out of the egg. Besides, it wouldn't really have made much of a difference either way. Diana was pretty sure that, had they wanted to attack her, or worse, eat her, they would have done so already. She was after all a nearly defenceless new-born. Also, she was fairly sure that Arceus wouldn't have put her egg into a dangerous place. That wouldn't have made any sense.

"Hi," she said, shyly, in a small voice, while taking another look around. For the first time she noticed that they were inside a large room, inside a house to be exact. The room was fairly empty and from the looks of it, it seemed to have been specially made to house pokémon, not humans. Diana could see what looked like pokémon sized beds in several corners and even a roost near one of the rooms windows.

'So…these are 'captured' pokémon,' she thought to herself, as she studied her surroundings.

'That probably means I'm most likely going to be caught too.'

Diana was not sure how she should feel about that. On one hand she wouldn't have to worry too much about surviving. All of her needs would most likely be taken care off for her by whomever her trainer would be. On the other hand, how was she supposed to find and get to know Ash if she was caught? 'Unless it was in battle of course. A fat lot of good that would do though,' She thought.

She doubted that Ash was the trainer of these pokémon, at least not if this world was the same as that of the TV series back in her previous world. So that would really mess up her plans. 'Oh well, first problems first,' she thought. Maybe I can somehow convince my trainer to trade me later on. Yeah, right…as if. We'll just have to take care of that problem later,' she thought. Slowly she turned back to face the charmeleon.

The charmeleon waited patiently as the newest member of their little family took a look around. She had no idea what it was, but if it was anything as strong as it looked, it would indeed be a great addition to their team.

In front of her was a creature that looked similar to a dratini. However, not like a normal dratini, but more like a dratini on steroids, with a few distinct differences. It looked like a small blackish, shiny black dratini. No legs, but with dragon like claws. It had a smooth wide, silvery underbody, sort of like that of a snake, small sharp pointy teeth, which were slightly visible, protrude from it's jaw, and it also had eery glowing reds eyes. Its ears were spiky almost like that of a Kingdra. The charmeleon could also clearly see what looked like a shiny white diamond growing from its head. Oh, and it was also hovering of the ground, an ability usually only found in psychic, dragon or magnetic type pokémon. All in all it looked like a truly fearsome adversary. Or at least it soon would, once Dave got his hands on it.

Studying their new family member, charmeleon suddenly noticed an oddity, which made her eyes widen in surprise. 'Is that a steel body?" she asked curiously.

"Erm…" Diana answered. She didn't know what to say. How could she? If she didn't know what she was, then how could she possibly answer that question.

The charmeleon sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you…it's just…you seem to be a steel type. And you also seem to be a dragon type too, if what I'm seeing is correct. That combination is almost none existent. You must be really rare…and very powerful," charmeleon said, before stopping herself.

Diana could only blink and stare. 'A dragon and a steel type…. Wow,' she thought. 'Arceus…wherever you are…you gave me one hell of a combination. The only other pokémon with that combination was the legendary Dialga. Thanks Arcy!' she thought, impressed.

"Sorry," the charmeleon said, looking a little sheepish. "You obviously don't know what I'm talking about, do you? I mean, you have only just hatched after all…and you probably have a lot of questions… Please ask away," she added and then fell silent.

'Yeah right. If only she knew,' thought Diana with a small smile.

It took a second before Diana realised that she was waiting patiently for her to respond.

"Oh right!… Erm… sure…" 'Hmm…what questions would a new born have,' she wondered to herself. 'Ah yes…I know,'

"Who are you? …Are… are you my... mummy?" she asked in what she hoped was a believable tone for a new born, mentally cringing at the baby language she was using.

The charmeleon blinked and looked at her in surprise. "Mum...my? What?...Oh!…Oh no dear…I'm Charla, a charmeleon…something which you are definitely not," the charmeleon said quickly, a little nervous,as she realised what she had been asked, before continuing in a more quieter, slower pace. "You're… something else. Something else entirely. So no, I'm not..."

She paused, searching for the right words to say.

"You see we are all captured pokémon… and once Dave wakes up, I bet you will be too," she added, glancing towards a near by door, as if expecting it to open at any second.

"Oh!," was all Diana could say in response. What else could she say. 'So, my new trainer is called Dave…I wonder what he's like,' she wondered.

"What's he like?" she asked, mirroring her thoughts.

For a second Charmeleon got a distant, slightly troubled look on her face. The others also seemed slightly nervous about that question.

"He's…ok… I guess…a nice boy... He's kind most of the time… if your strong and able to battle that is."

"I'm sure you will have no problems with that though," she added quickly, seeing the sudden fright in Diana's eyes.

"If anything you will be our brightest shining star," the sandshrew added. He sounded somewhat jealous.

The charmeleon and the others nodded. "Yes... well, he can be a little…a little... what's that word, ah yes... a little ambitious," Charla said, carefully choosing her words, only to be interrupted by the pidgeotto.

"Ambitious! Charla please…. he's more than just ambitious, if you can't battle and battle well, he's practically a demon lately. Especially when against...him."

Hearing this Diana became even more nervous. Demon?...That did not sound good. What had she jsut gotten herself into? she asked herself.

"Please, not now Harpy…now is not the time, it only just hatched," Charla said imploringly, looking somewhat worried towards the new-born, but Harpy had other ideas.

"No…I'm sorry Charla, but I disagree." The pidgeotto suddenly looked at Diana as if looking for something, then nodded obviously finding what it was looking for, before turning back to face the charmeleon… " …'_She'_ needs to know. It wouldn't be fair to her otherwise. You know he won't wait. Not anymore."

Charla sighed but then slowly she nodded. "Very well…your probably right, it's probably for the best."

Turning back to face Diana, Charla gave her a sad kind of look.

"Do you have a name little one?…or would you like us to give you one?" she asked, stalling for time. "Alternatively you could also wait for Dave and use the name he gives you instead…if he gives you one that is," she added a second later.

"Mind you, he doesn't always give good names, so it's a risk," said the nidoran with a smirk. The kakuna nodded his head. "Eye, That's right. Just look at Sandy, Dave called Sandy... Sandy, as in Sandy the 'sand' shrew,"the kakuna said, somewhat mockingly, stressing the sand part, which caused said sandshrew to pout.

"Hush you, you can't talk... you're called Stinger," said the Pidgeotto, defending the yellow sand mouse, which caused stinger to scowl.

"At least mine has a bit of a sting to it, you harpy," he said with a growl. The others simply rolled their eyes while the pidgeotto gave the kakuna a glare. "Your lucky I'm not allowed to eat you," she said angrily to the bug. Said bug simply snorted in response.

Meanwhile, taken aback by the sudden question Diana took a moment to consider the question.

'A name?…Well…sure. I guess I do need a new name. Then again…do I?' she wondered.

'Let's see now… I used to be called Diana Smith…. Diana Destiny Smith to be exact.

I never really liked my name…and my surname. Not after what happened back then...besides its useless now…but my second…yes…that will do. I like it. Sure... why not. I do have a destiny to fulfill after all..., so sure, why not.'

Satisfied with her choice she looked up which immediately got everybody's attention.

"I'd like to be called…Destiny…if that's possible," she answered.

The others looked at her surprised at the name, but then shrugged.

"Sure…if that's what you want, then Destiny it is, just be warned that Dave will probably also give you a name, but to us you will, from now on, always be called Destiny," said Charla. Diana, now called Destiny nodded happily.

"Anyway, as Harpy was saying…"

* * *

><p>Well… those were the first few moments of my new life as a pokémon. I was such a cute, innocent little thing back then. Well…sort off. One does not usually consider a black snake like beast with eery glowing red eyes and sharp pointy teeth to be cute, well… you get the idea. But as I sat…no…as I hovered there, listening to the other members of the 'family' tell me about their lives…and overall, of their inexperienced greenhorn of a trainer, I never fully realised just how messed up my new life was about to become.<p>

Dave…

Oh my... poor Dave…

Where should I start?

Well, I guess I should first mention that I didn't really like him much to say the least. At least not at the beginning.

Oh! Don't get me wrong... Dave was a kind lovable young boy. Good natured, kind and friendly... even patient...from time to time.

He only had one unfortunate problem: He was not a very good trainer.

Then again, thinking about it, to be fair, most boys aren't good trainers at his age. All you have to do is take Ash as an example to understand what I mean. Besides, not everybody had a world famous pokémon professor as a relative while growing up...or numerous tutors teaching you all they knew...like Gary Oak.

You see, Dave was the sort of trainer who used to depend more on brawn, rather than skill. An unfortunate dilemma most young inexperienced trainers are faced with in their early years as pokémon trainers.

Also, to add hurt to injury...but to no real fault of Dave's... it also didn't help that I was not exactly an easy pokémon to raise. Far from it to say the least.

Looking back now centuries later, there were not many trainers - still aren't many to be exact - who could have successfully taken care of a class 5 difficulty pokémon such as myself.

Now...at this moment you're probably asking yourselves what a class 5 pokémon is?... Right?

Well, a Class 5 pokémon is the most difficult class of pokémon to train, on par with the legendaries. Something which only the best of all trainers should even attempt to do.

As it was; a level one evolutionary pokémon, with a class 5 difficulty was unheard of at the time. So he could obviously have easily been forgiven for his troubles.

Dave, as unfortunate as it was, was not one of those top class prodigy trainers. Dave, bless his soul, was still a beginner, or maybe an intermediate at best. He simply couldn't understand that I just wasn't the same as the others. That I had to be treated differently to 'normal' pokémon... or that I just couldn't...well...

As it was...as a new-born pokémon… No, scratch that, as a former human turned pokémon, I had no idea about…well…about anything really…I didn't have even know a single attack.

Dave just didn't understand that. Add to that my unique inab...

..

..

Sorry…I just realized. I never fully introduced the others did I…better do that now first before I continue.

Well…there was Charla the chameleon… the leader of the pack, at least while Dave was not around. She was also Dave's starter.

Then there was Harpy, the pidgeotto.

There were also the others, the sandshrew for instance, was called Sandy - I know not very original, but then again what can you expect from a young human boy. The nidoran was called Ringo… and then there was also Stinger - another stupid name if you ask me, but it nevertheless was the name Dave had given the kakuna and as Stinger always said; it did put a bit of a sting in his name.

Finally there was of course me… Destiny.

I refuse to ever use the name Dave gave me.

As for Dave. Well he had friends like everybody else, two loving parents….two sisters, one younger than him, named Ayla, a real sweetheart, and another… who had already left to become a trainer several years before. Dave, well he was fairly good at school, most of the time from what I heard.

When it came to pokémon however…'us,' to be exact…he had the unfortunate tendency to expect a bit too much from us.

You see…he hated losing... like most young children do. In fact he detested it. Something which was very obvious when he lost against his main rival.

I guess it's understandable to a certain extent, when you consider all the facts, but it sure didn't help me much at the time.

Unfortunately for us, he had a rather merciless rival.

It was the classic story of: two rivals meet, one wins, the other is humiliated and vows revenge.

Still, that by it self wouldn't have been so bad. Rivals, to a certain extent can be useful, and he wasn't by any means a bad loser, far from it really. He could take just as well as he could give and still have a smile on his face while doing it too. Even if it was forced.

However, when you add in a certain girl to the equation and then... well…then that's when the real problems begin…since where there is love, there is usually trouble. Especially when two want the same person….

**Sigh!**

Sorry, I'm…I'm getting a little ahead of myself again…

What was I saying again before?…ah yes…

Back then I didn't have a clue what I was …neither did anybody else to be exact. Being new and a completely new pokémon species, I still remember the first time I met Dave...

* * *

><p>It took the best part of the night but Charla soon explained the odds and ends of where they were, what it meant to be one of Dave's pokémon and overall what would soon be expected from her. At the end Destiny nearly had a headache…and already felt a good amount of nervous fear for what was to come.<p>

Destiny, formerly Diana, was scared. Scared and nervous... practically petrified. Shaking in her non-existant boots. There was no better way to describe it. This was not what she had in mind when she took Arceus's offer. She was expecting a lot more time to get used to her new life. Not to be thrown right into the deep end of a raging whirlpool and told to swim...without knowing how to, that is.

If what she was told was true, then Dave, her trainer-to-be, expected nothing less but the very best and full commitment from all of his pokémon. Those who didn't shape up, or couldn't for whatever reasons, quickly felt his displeasure, and that was something none of his pokémon wanted.

It was a lot to take in when you consider that just a little while ago she was still inside an egg, and before that, a human from another world. Everything was so different to her in this strange new world, yet everybody suddenly expected her to simply jump right out of the proverbial frying pan and right into the deep end of the fire…and make it look good too…or else. Needless to say, it was a real system shock for a poor recently deceased city girl.

Long after the others had gone to sleep - or to roost in the pidgyotto's case, Destiny was still wide awake, wondering what was to come, and for the first, but not the last time, she wondered if she had made the right choice.

Finally sleep claimed her and she drifted of into an uneasy dream. Clearly not a good start to a new life.

* * *

><p>COCKADOODLE DOO! ( Rise and shine humans, time to get up!)<p>

Wizzzz...Thump!

Squawk! (Ouch!)

COCKA DE DODDLE E DO! (Hey don't throw that alarm clock at me)

..

Morning came, and with it the wake up call of a near by cockerel.

Taken by surprise, since, having been a former city girl for all her former life, she had never heard the sound of a cockerel before; she woke up with a fright.

The nearby kakuna chuckled. "Never heard a cockerel before, eh? He he… don't worry, that's just Jeffrey, the old rooster. He does that every morning. Beats Dave's alarm clock everyday, he does. Makes me wonder why Dave uses the annoying thing. I mean…old Jeff is so much better at it and he hasn't missed a single day yet either, unlike that old tin can."

Destiny couldn't help but laugh when she heard that. Then, suddenly, with a pang she realized what stinger had said. He called Jeff a rooster, as in a 'normal' animal, like the roosters from her original world and not a pokémon. Now fully awake Destiny could only wonder. Did that mean both, pokémon and what she knew as 'normal' animals existed in this world, at the same time?

Obviously it did.

Not much longer, shortly thereafter, Destiny could hear the distinct sound of approaching footprints coming down some near by stairs. Something, which caused all of her roommates, to immediately go silent.

Wide-awake, her heart thumping nervously in anticipation, Destiny copied everybody else's actions and turned to look at the door.

It took a few minutes but soon the door opened and a young boy of about eleven stepped inside.

Presuming that this was Dave, her future trainer, Destiny took a closer look at him.

He had spiky brown hair, a roundish face with grey eyes. Currently the boy was wearing a red jumper, some jeans and a pair of indoor sandals, which clearly showed his toes. All in all, your everyday normal eleven year old.

"Morning everybody!" he called out, rubbing his eyes. 'Did you all slee…. Oh!" said the boy as his eyes rested on the remains of Destiny's egg, then frantically glided across the room, obviously searching for the newest member of the family until he found her.

"Oh... Wow!…" he said. He stared for about a moment in amazed shock, than, suddenly, he ran off.

Slightly puzzled by his sudden departure, Destiny was just about to ask the others what was wrong, when, just as quickly as the boy had left, he rushed back in again. This time however he had a certain red device with him. A device, which looked frighteningly familiar to the new girl, turned pokémon.

'A pokédex,' thought Destiny just before the boy pointed it right at her.

'Ha…good luck in finding anything about me in it,' she said mentally with a smirk, knowing what was about to happen.

_(((Data unavailable!)))_

'Ha! Told ya so,' she added, her smirk increasing.

_(((There are still many undiscovered pokémon yet to be found!)))_

The boy looked up from the pokédex with clear surprise practically written all over his face, surprise, which was soon replaced with a happy smile, a smile which soon changed into a wide grin.

"Oh oh, here we go again," said Ringo, the nidoran, with a small-resigned sigh.

"THIS IS SO COOL!" the boy shouted.

Destiny flinched as the sudden loud voice hurt her ears. 'Did he have to be so loud?' she mentally cried out as the boy practically did a happy dance around the room. "Now I'll definitely win against Preston," he continued in a somewhat quieter, yet still fairly loud voice.

Everybody else groaned. Harpy even wing-palmed and gave a small told-you-so glance of sympathy towards Destiny.

Just then another person, this time a younger girl, hurried into the room. "What's wrong? Why are you shouting?... Did it hatch?" she asked excitedly, before also searching the room for anything new, only to also stop, her eyes widening, as they fell on the newest addition. She whistled, impressed.

"Meet Ayla, Dave's little sister," said Sandy from Destiny's right. Destiny nodded, showing she understood.

Unlike her brother, Ayla stepped forward slowly, so as not to frighten the newest arrival and carefully, cautiously held out her hand towards Destiny.

"Hi there, my name is Ayla, I'm this idiot's sister," she said motioning towards Dave who stopped dancing with a "Hey!..." as he heard her.

"Pa-ci Pa-aci (Nice to meet you too)," Destiny said.

"Ah, how cute," said Ayla, smiling softly.

"What…what did it say?" Dave said walking up to his sister.

Ayla laughed…"Don't know…all I heard was 'pa' and a 'ci' followed by a 'pa' and an 'aci'. If I had to guess though I'd say, she said hi," she said, moving aside to give her brother more room.

"How do you know it's a she?" Dave asked, giving Destiny a long look up and down her body as if searching for something. Destiny had a fair idea what it was Dave was looking for and she shivered as Dave's eyes roamed over her, but tried her best to ignore him. She was, after all, an animal now and it was bound to happen at some stage. It was not like she could simply tell him.

Nevertheless, it made Destiny feel quite uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Women intuition," Ayla answered, simply.

Dave rolled his eyes, then crouched down beside Destiny. "Go on, say hi," he coaxed.

"Er…Hi…" said Destiny, or at least what sounded like 'Hi' to her, but sounded more like 'aci' to Dave.

'Interesting, for me it's as if I speak English, but to them they hear pa's and aci's…,' she thought to herself, filing that titbit of information away for later use. 'Usually pokémon say their Pokémon names…or at least parts of it, I wonder what I am,' she wondered.

"Hi there, welcome to the team," Dave said back, smiling, oblivious to her thoughts, before scanning her again with the pokédex.

Like last time it announced that it had no data on her. This time however Dave pressed a few buttons.

_(((Data unavailable, Stupid trainers are advised that pokémon need to be captured first before more information can be accessed)))_, the machine announced before falling silent once more. It was a statement, which made Dave scowl and grumble. "I'm not stupid," he said quietly, while glaring at the machine, doing his best to ignore Ayla who was laughing at him.

"Right…sure…I'll be right back," he said pouting a little. Giving the machine one last glare, before smiling again, then quickly rushed out of the room two steps at a time.

Ayla simply shrugged then looked at Destiny again. "Enjoy the last few moments of your freedom… ," she said as she watched the strange black shiny pokémon.

Destiny for her part could only wait anxiously for her 'trainer' to return. It was pretty clear to her now that Dave was going to be her trainer. She really wasn't sure whether to look forward to it or not. If the stories the other pokémon had told her were true, then probably not. She would just have to wait and see.

One fact, however, kept popping back into her mind. 'I am about to be captured,' she thought.

For years she had had fantasies about what it might have felt like to be captured. What it felt like to turn into that red light and to be sucked into a pokéball.

Now that it was actually about to happen, Destiny didn't know what to think...

Did she even want to find out? Well, it's not like she had much of a choice now. Did she?

Back when she made the deal with Arceus she always knew that she would be captured, she just assumed that is wouldn't be Dave, but rather Ash.

Sighing to herself, resigning herself to her fate, Destiny settled down for a nervous wait. The classic 'butterfly in the stomach' feeling was growing stronger by the second, until it nearly drove her wild.

Then, just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore Dave finally returned. "Sorry about the delay," he said. "I had some problems finding an unused pokéball," he added, somewhat sheepishly, as he held out the famous red and white object for all to see.

Destiny stared at the ball, 'her' ball. Sure, she had seen one many times before; on television, back in her former world. Back then however it was all just fiction…made-up…not real. Now however, she suddenly found herself staring at the real thing. Now it was all very real. So real it scared her.

The proverbial butterflies in her stomach only increased even further as Dave pressed the button and the pokéball enlarged in his hand. All of a sudden, she didn't feel like going in anymore.

'How does that happen?... How can something that small simply expand like that?... I'm scared... Maybe this is a bad idea...I...I don't want to go in...' Destiny thought. Getting more worried by the second. Suddenly her body automatically took a step back as if getting ready to run.

However, before she could fully attempt an escape Dave threw the ball. Surprised by the sudden move, even though she knew it was going to come, Destiny only had a small second to cry out in shock as the ball touched her before she was suddenly enveloped by a red light. A second later she suddenly felt weightless. Suddenly she could see and feel herself disintegrate...

Then she was sucked into the ball.


	3. First Impressions

**Chapter edited on: 12/October/2013**

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong>

::I said what?:: = Pokéspeech

((( My trainer is so stupid! )))= pokédex speech

* * *

><p><strong>Previously in Paradox:<strong>

However, before she could fully attempt an escape Dave threw the ball. Surprised by the sudden move, even though she knew it was going to come, Destiny only had a small second to cry out in shock as the ball touched her before she was suddenly enveloped by a red light. A second later she suddenly felt weightless. Then she was sucked into the ball.

**And now the continuation:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 - First Impressions<strong>

* * *

><p>Ok... For those of you who have always wanted to know what it's like to be inside a pokéball, or indeed what it feels like to get sucked into a pokéball... Well, this is your lucky day.<p>

Let me just say: Pikachu, got it... half right.

Being captured is indeed not a nice experience to say the least... at least the initial capture isn't. I think on that much all would agree with me.

However, the part after the initial capture, the part where your actually inside the ball, isn't so bad. Once captured, being inside a ball is actually quite enjoyable. At least to a certain point of view that is. Let's just say, it isn't too bad if you ignore the bad and only concentrate on the good.

Have I confused you yet?

I probably have.

Well...let me try to explain.

Its like this:

First of all, it is important to note that being inside a pokéball does not make you claustrophobic, quite the opposite actually...it's anything but a tight space. Seeing as you have just about unlimited room inside a ball, being claustrophobic is the least of your worries.

Ok...so the vast majority of pokémon, would probably argue and disagree with a good bit of what, I -and Pikachu- am about to say next... but then again, they don't know what I know, do they? They can't know, as they have ever seen, nor experienced it from a former human perspective.

Pokémon, as a rule are Intelligent!

Oh yes, we are very intelligent...don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

However, even so, even with all of our intelligence, we are still just animals at heart, myself now included.

Usually we, -I am one of the few exceptions- are unable to understand what humans know.

Pokémon as a rule don't have a clue about technology...or other marvels of science which rule the lives of the everyday human. They don't need to.

I guess in this case I am blessed...or maybe I am cursed. I'm not sure. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

Let me be as direct as I can be with you here... ever heard of the matrix? Well, the ball is similar. Frighteningly similar to the matrix. In fact, the only differences to the movie and the ball is: One; the ball has no special agents who are trying to kill you... always a plus, two; it actually really is perfect inside. A perfect world in every sense of the word. The perfect dreamworld of your dreams... and three; the pokémon makes all the rules.

In a sense; you're 'the one', the 'architect' and 'the oracle' all in one.

In short: a pokéball, my friends, is a perfect artificially created dream-world made solely for the pokémon trapped inside. A pokéball adapts itself to the very needs of the pokémon. It's a mentally constructed dreamworld where all of the pokémons needs are taken care of... -even if only in their minds- forever if need be, until the day they die, be it of old age... or of starvation.

While inside the ball, the pokémon can not get sick or be sick, even when it already was sick to begin with, before going into the ball. It can not get hurt, it can not die of injuries or of poison, it never grows hungry...and the ball might even heal the pokémon depending on which ball you use.

Sounds good so far...right? Hmm?

Well...that, my friends... was the good part.

Now I'll tell you about the bad.

You see it has a few major flaws. And when I say major...I mean... Major!

First of all, it is important to note, that, while the pokémon can indeed not feel hungry, tired or pain, while he, she or indeed 'it' is in the ball, it can however, still die while in said ball.

Yes, that's right... there goes that age old myth. A pokémon can indeed still die while inside its ball...

It can die in multiple ways, by either: starvation, old age or by getting crushed... or otherwise destroyed.

First up; flaw number one: Starvation.

For any stupid trainers amongst you, please note: a pokémon may not feel hungry while in the ball, however it still needs food to survive.

So please, do let us out and feed us from time to time. OK?

Great!

Now, on to flaw number two:

A pokémon can die of old age.

Yes, yes... I know. It will take a long, long...very, very long time... a few millennia to be exact for the average pokémon to die of old age...and the pokémon will probably die of starvation first, if it's forgotten, but it can and will happen...someday. That is if it's not killed first.

Last but not least... we have destruction.

A Poké-ball is not invulnerable. Throw it into a pool of lava or crush it between large enough steel plates or rocks and not only will the ball be destroyed...but the pokemon inside it will be too. While in the ball the pokemons life is directly linked to the ball.

Please note however that balls do have a fail-safe which will automatically eject the resident pokémon if it's about to fail. Of course...the fail-safe won't do much good in lava...or if crushed beneath several tons of rubble. And yes...before you scream at me that fire pokémon, like Magmar, can survive in lava... please keep in mind that the ball however will not, and therefore may not have enough time to activate the fail-safe.

That was flaw number three.

Finally, we get to the largest flaw of them all.

Now, many might argue that it isn't really a flaw, as it does exactly what it was designed to do... but I really don't care.

I give you flaw number four:

What you; the trainers and the pokémon don't know, and most likely don't even want to know is: ... along with the automated fake 'perfect' dreamworld, each pokéball also comes fully equipped with an automatic mind control and paralysing device which it uses, with great effect, in a rather sizeable quantity, on each pokémon it captures.

I will now accept gasps of disbelief and cries of horror!

Ah!, music to my ears.

..

..

..

Have you calmed down yet?

Great! Then we can continue.

As I was saying...depending on the ball used, each is capable of knocking out and brainwashing anything from a small rodent (normal pokéball) right up to a 20 foot high behemoth (ultra ball) and above (master ball) to be completely subservient to a trainer...or trainers and to obey their every whim - at least during battles - if need be.

Surprised?

You shouldn't be. Not really. Think about it. How else...no...scratch that... why else, would a wild creature suddenly be tame, friendly and be completely willing to obey it's captor's orders...when just a few seconds before it was fighting, tooth, nail and elemental powers, against the very same trainer? Also, why else would an abused pokémon follow it's abusers orders and come back for more? It's because they get addicted to and completely brainwashed by their pokéball. That's why.

Quite obvious, really, when you think about it.

Correct?

Moving on...

There are only two ways to escape from the balls brainwashing effect...and that's; to either freely allow the pokéball to capture you - something which in 98% of the cases is just not going to happen, the pokémon's in a natural sleep (which explains why, -besides it being cowardly and dishonorable,- trainers always wake the pokémon up and try to battle it first, if at all possible)... or if the pokéball somehow starts to malfunction. It's this final 2% which cause all the problems for those few poor unlucky trainers. One of the best example of this would be Ash's Charizard... though, if I think about it, that might also be because it actually willingly allowed Ash to capture him, so I'm not 100% sure about that either.

Please note: When I said natural sleep I really did mean 'natural'. There is an exception to the sleep rule. If a pokémon is captured after using an attack which causes the pokémon to go to sleep, the capture still acts like a 'normal' capture, whether the pokémon is asleep or not. This is because the subconsciousness mind is still actively fighting the ball/capture even after the pokémon itself has fallen asleep.

Fact is, unless a pokémon is lucky enough to either; break out before it is overwhelmed, or to actually willingly accept being captured the ball will drug it into complete obedience.

The more you struggle, the more you get drugged. In turn; the more you get drugged the more you get brainwashed and the less you struggle. The less you struggle, the less you get brainwashed. If you don't struggle at all, you don't get brainwashed.

Convenient that!

Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, that rarely happens, as in, it doesn't happen for 98% of the time, so, it's not really much of a surprise why this fault has never been fixed. It's only those who allow themselves to be captured and who don't fight back, who keep their complete free will, and it's only those who are still capable of questioning their trainers motives. Fortunately, it's those who are also less likely to question their trainers, because they actually choose to be caught and fight for said trainer in the first place.

That's not to say that the 'normal' captured pokémon does not have free will... quite the opposite really. They have complete free will in everything and anything... except of course when it comes to obeying their master...or in some cases masters, while in a battle.

Finally, and this is the interesting part. It is very important to note that the pokéball only attempts to brainwash you once...and only once, unless your being traded, in which case it happens again to switch your allegiance to the other trainer. However, usually, once your captured, your captured...and once captured, your unable to escape the balls influence over you, until it's either damaged beyond repair, or the trainer freely decides to release you.

Now, let's move on to the moral of the story:

Being caught in a pokéball is good...no question about it. It's great, just as long as you ignore the fact that your being mind controlled and forced to fight. If you can accept that... if you have a trainer who doesn't forget to feed you, if you don't mind fighting others of your kind and don't mind getting hurt, from time to time... then, being caught, is actually a pretty nice life. If however you can't accept the fact that you're being controlled, if you have a trainer who treats you badly, or if for some reason you don't want to fight, then I only have one piece of advice for you:

Stay away from humans!

Anyway...I think I've kept you long enough...let's continue with the story, shall we?

Now... I was just being sucked into the ball...

* * *

><p>Unable to move away in time, the pokéball hit Destiny's flank and immediately a red light started to envelope her. Destiny only had enough time to cry out, before a feeling a sudden weightlessness over took her body, lifting her of the ground, before her whole body, her whole being, body, mind...everything, began to disintegrate and merge with the red light. Finally, before she knew it, she was sucked into the red ball.<p>

All in all the whole procedure took about one to two seconds, then there was nothing. Only darkness. She could still think, but that was just about all she could do. She couldn't see, she couldn't move, she couldn't even hear... nothing.

Well, nearly nothing...for some strange reason she could still feel. It was without a doubt one of the most frightening experiences of both of her lives.

However, that was just the beginning, for it was at that moment when the real problems began. Afraid out of her wits, she did what most would do when faced with a sudden feeling of obliviousness: She began to mentally struggle.

Almost immediately, the direct moment she began to struggle, to break out of the ball, through sheer mental willpower, two things began to happen:

Destiny suddenly began to feel an almost overwhelming sense of calm, of familiarity...of peacefulness. It was as if everything inside her was telling her that all would all be ok, that being captured was actually what she really wanted, indeed, what she needed.

Then came the feeling of pleasure. A feeling of extreme bliss. It started slowly, but then it began to steadily increase.

It was only because Destiny had actually been human, that she immediately realised what was happening. The ball was trying to dominate her, like an animal would try to sexually dominate another animal... It was a test of willpower. The bloody ball was trying to make her submit...

Shocked out of her wits, and greatly angered, Destiny did the only thing she could think of, she began to struggle harder, doing her utmost to resist the balls power.

Then suddenly she began to feel herself steadily grow weaker. Shocked even more, Destiny realised that the ball was sucking away her strength...her aura... the internal power source of every pokémon.

Knowing that if she fainted, if her aura got too low, the ball would win, Destiny did the only thing she could: With a scream of righteous fury she gathered all that was left of her remaining strength, then, with one final mental scream, she gave one final push...

* * *

><p>Dave was anxiously watching the ball wobble and was just about to do the common victory dance most trainers do after successuly capturing a new and especially rare pokémon, when suddenly:<p>

With a gigantic flash of light, the ball suddenly burst open with a small explosion, ejecting Destiny, who promptly reappeared outside of the now defeated ball. Reassembling Destiny back into her solid form first, the ball then flew right back at Dave and smacked him right into his face with enough force to knock him right over. Dave, now swirly eyed groaned, then slowly fell to the floor.

All around him his sister and the other pokémon could only stare at what had happened, before one after the other they fell to the ground, laughing.

Destiny, furious at what had happened, knowing that words would be useless, as he wouldn't be able to understand her, decided to show her displeasure in a different way. The only other way she could. She hovered over to Dave, opening her mouth, and bit down onto his toe with her sharp teeth, causing Dave to scream and howl, jump up and hop around, holding his foot in his hand.

Still angry, but satisfied, knowing that anymore would only cause trouble for her, Destiny turned around, her head held high, causing everybody else to laugh even more.

Finally after a few minutes, Dave calmed down again and promptly started to whine.

"Why...why did you do that?" he asked, holding his foot gingerly in his hands and looking right at Destiny, who was still breathing heavily from her ball experience.

Suddenly Dave's pokédex started to speak...

_(((Contrary to popular belief there are some pokémon who prefer to stay outside of their pokéballs)))_

Hearing this Dave sighed. "Oh great, its one of those. Just what I need. A pokémon who doesn't like poké-balls," he said, before looking back at Destiny, who was now watching him warily, daring him to try it again.

"But I have to capture it to be able to use it. The pokémon league does not allow unregistered pokémon into official battles. Besides, if I don't capture it, it would still be wild and then somebody else will do it. There is no other way. I have to capture it," he whined out loudly to himself, loud enough that everybody else could hear him.

Hearing this Destiny sighed. Sullenly she realised that he was right. She had to let him capture her, whether she liked it or not. There really was no other way... unless she wanted to stay wild. Destiny knew however that that just wouldn't be possible.

Seeing Destiny's displeasure at the situation Dave decided to compromise. "Ok...listen, here's the deal. I promise I will allow you to stay out of the pokéball for as long as you want, whenever I can, however, I have to capture you. I have no choice," he said pleadingly, trying his best to convince Destiny.

Destiny, for her part hesitated for a few long seconds, but then, realising that sacrifices had to be made, that this was probably the best deal she would ever be able to get, she lowered her head in defeat. She really had no choice. Besides, it would have happened sooner or later anyway. In was only a matter of time. At least in this way she had some form on control over the whole situation. Sighing again for the umpteenth time, heavy hearted, not looking forward to being molested... dominated, by the ball again, but realising that she really didn't have a choice...and also realising that it was the normal way things were done, she finally nodded, giving Dave her consent to proceed.

Dave, seeing that his future pokémon-to-be, was still hesitant, decided not to throw the ball again, but instead, he pressed the button, priming the ball once more, then put it down beside her instead.

"There, now you can decide for yourself... just touch the ball when your ready," he said and took a few steps back, where he then settled down to wait.

Closing her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath, gathering up her courage to face what was to come, Destiny slowly moved towards the ball, then slowly, reluctantly, she willed herself to touch it.

Once again, the moment she touched the ball the red light enveloped her. The brief feeling of weightlessness later, she was sucked back into the ball.

* * *

><p>Once again Destiny found herself surrounded by darkness, only, unlike last time, this time she was ready for it. Once again she began to feel the sudden feeling of pleasure and peacefulness, however, unlike last time, this time she didn't fight it. Instead, she did her best to will herself to accept it. It wasn't easy. Her instincts where constantly telling her that what was happening wasn't right, that she should fight it, but she ignored them instead.<p>

For a second the feeling of pleasure and the gradual decrease of her strength continued to increase, but then it suddenly stopped. Surprised, Destiny tensed, causing the feeling to return, but the moment she willed herself to relax again it lessened once more.

Perplexed, but unwilling to look a gifted horse into the mouth, Destiny did her best to stay still, to accept what was happening. 'Maybe the ball can sense our willingness, or rather, our unwillingness to be captured,' she thought.

Deciding to test out her theory, she willed the ball to believe that she wanted to be captured...that she wanted to submit...to accept Dave as her master. Which she did, in a way.

The moment she did, the decrease of her strength stopped completely.

'Maybe this won't be so bad after all,' she thought, allowing herself to completely submit to the ball.

A few seconds later, she heard a soft 'ding,' like a chime and the darkness around her disappeared, to be replaced by a replica of the sitting room of her former house, from her former world, complete with pokémon sized furniture custom-made just for her. Even her old television set was there. Only, instead of showing a movie, it was now showing the outside world, the outside of the...'her'... pokéball.

Destiny could only stare, her mouth falling open is disbelief, before she was suddenly released back into the outside world, courtesy of Dave who had released her the moment the ball had announced that the capture was successful.

* * *

><p>Re-materialising in the real world, it took a second for Destiny to compose herself, uttering a small "wow!" Finally she did.<p>

She was so surprised by what she had just seen that she didn't realise that her trainer was trying to get her attention until he literally touched her, startling her enough to omit a slight yelp of surprise and to turn around quickly, fangs bared as if ready to bite.

"Woah! Hey, it's only me, Calm down," said Dave quickly, taking a hurried step back from Destiny's sharp fangs.

"Calm down," he ordered.

Something in his voice must have made Destiny calm down instantly because a split second later Destiny was calm once more. She was even sanding to attention, which really surprised her.

Sighing in relief Dave relaxed.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked. "It's all over now. I promise you don't have to go back in again if you don't want to. Well, not unless there is an emergency or you have to go back for some reason," he added thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as he spoke.

Destiny shrugged. All of a sudden, being inside her ball didn't seem to frighten her all that much anymore.

"Now...let us see what else Dexter has to say about you," Dave said before he eagerly pointed his pokédex at Destiny once more.

(((Unidentified pokémon!, Minimal Data Available!)))

Dave frowned. "Damn, this pokémon is not in the Kanto pokédex database. Must be in the national dex," he said, annoyed by the repetitive lack of information.

"Well... let's at least look at what we have," he said and pressed a button.

**Pokémon Data:**

**Name:** Unknown

**Pokémon Registeration Number:** 1332ALPHA1985G364365DELTA08

**Trainer: **David (Dave) Tyronius Stone** Reg: **14573FOX345ECHO459005

**General Information:** No data available

**Evolutions:** Unknown

**Height:** 3' (1.15m)

**Weight:** 90 lbs

**Species:** Dragon Hybrid

**Type(s):** Dragon, Steel

**Abilities:**

Primary: Levitation

Secondary: Unknown

Other abilities: Available (Unknown)

**Gender: **Female

**Primary Weakness** Fighting types (Provisional)

**Moves Learned:** No data available.

"What! That's all?" Dave said, before his eyes suddenly widened. His face suddenly turned white and he looked like fainting.

Ayla, noticing her brothers sudden plight, rushed over to him and took the pokédex from him, saving it from a fall, just before her brother fell over.

Looking at it she read the limited data before her eyes also widened and she whistled.

"Oh my...a Dragon pokémon. Looks like you lucked out this time Dave," she said before she read the next line and her eyes widened even more.

"Not just any dragon, but a dragon/steel hybrid, she said, her voice coming out as a whisper.

Suddenly she realised just how rare the pokémon in front of her was. Dragon pokémon were rare, very rare...and very powerful. Only the best trainers, the elite, usually had dragons...but this pokémon...this pokémon wasn't just a dragon it was a dragon/steel hybrid. Those were nearly non-existent. In fact the only other pokémon of that type which she knew about was the legendary Dialga.

Putting the pokédex down because she was also feeling a little shaky, she quickly sat down.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she looked at Destiny. "What are you?" she asked.

Destiny for her part was smirking. She didn't know what the pokédex said, since the machine hadn't called it out, but she had heard what Ayla had said.

"Pa-Cifi-ci-dox-pa-cifi-dox" ("Don't ask me... I know as much as you do...besides of course the fact that Arceus told me that I was the first of my kind") She answered.

_::"WHAT!"::_ the other pokémon in the room screamed.

_::"What did you mean Arceus told you?", "Did you just say Arceus...as in 'the' Arceus?", " What do you mean the first of your kind?"::_ Sandy, Harpy and Charla exclaimed all at the same time.

::"Yep...first of my kind... he spoke to me just before I hatched,":: she answered, smugly, not really surprised by their outbursts. It was to be expected really.

Eyes wide, the other pokémon were about to ask more questions, but they were interrupted by Ayla who had been listening to them.

"Now...I have no idea what you're all saying...but what I do know is that each pokémon always says their names when they speak...or at least something close to it when speaking to us humans. Now if what I hear is correct, then you were saying things like Pa, ci, fi and dox...so, if the order in which you're saying them is correct, then that would mean your called: Pacifidox?" she asked, curiously.

Destiny who had been talking to the others stopped to listen to her new trainers sister and thought about what she had just heard.

'Pa-cifi-dox?...Pacifidox...not bad...I like it,' she thought to herself. 'Finally I know what I'm called...er...I mean what my pokémon species is called,' she thought, amending her earlier thought, ignoring the others who were still trying to get her attention.

Suddenly a voice came from another room in the house.

"David! Ayla! Breakfast's ready!... Ayla, what's taking so long, you have school this morning, hurry up or you'll be late," the voice callled, startling Ayla and waking Dave who was still in a heap on the ground.

"Coming Mom..." Alya called out as she began to walk to the door.

David also got up and looked at all of his pokémon, taking a little longer look at his newest addition.

"Come along, you lot...you heard her, breakfasts ready," he said before he too left, leaving the door open for his pokémon as he left the room.

The pokémon took one look at Destiny then another at the door, clearly contemplating was was more important to them, food, or answers. Food finally won and so they too quickly left the room, leaving Destiny behind.

Destiny simply shrugged. 'Time to meet the parents,' she thought, before following too.

* * *

><p>A few rooms away, in the kitchen of the house, Amelia Stone, the plump read headed mother of four and loving wife of Henry Stone, the CEO of Stone Industries, was waiting for two of her four children to arrive.<p>

Just like every morning, she had just prepared her own and her children's breakfast and had just finished putting some of 'Mr Pokémon's finest pokechow,' into the pokémon's bowls, when Alya, her daughter of nine years, walked into the room and promptly took her usual seat at the kitchen table. A few seconds later, Ayla was soon joined by her brother, who soon also took his usual place, beside his sister, where they then patiently waited for their mother to finish up and join them. Seeing that everything was ready, Amelia took her own seat at the table, glanced briefly, with a slight sad frown on her face, at three empty seats across from her, then, her smile back on her face, she nodded to her children to begin.

One of the empty seats usually belonged to her husband, Henry Stone...the other two belonged to her other two children, her daughter, Susan, whenever she was home from her pokemon journey...and her other son...Steven. But he was usually too busy with his league duties and only came home once a year...usually for christmas...if at all.

"Dad's not here again...is he?" Ayla said sadly, after a few seconds, as she looked at her fathers empty place.

"No...I'm afraid he's not. He was called to an important meeting again...something to do about the new evolutionary stones they recently found," Amelia said with a slight sigh, before she looked at her daughter with a smile.

Smiling at her daughter, Amelia could immediately see that something was 'different' with her today. She seemed much more exited than usual. Wondering what was up, she was just about to ask when suddenly a black dragon like creature hovered into the room and joined the other pokémon.

Surprised, her mouth slightly open, she took a few seconds to look at the newest addition to her kitchen, before she closed her mouth and looked towards her children, with a questioning look on her face.

"So...is there perhaps something I should know about?" she asked curiously, startling her children who looked up at her. They hadn't noticed the pokémon come in yet.

Following his mothers glance towards the pokémon and realising what their mother meant, and also realising that said pokémon did not have any food yet, Dave blushed slightly and looked at her sheepishly.

Glancing at Ayla, who gave him a quick nod, telling him that she would explain everything, he quickly excused himself and got up to make some food for his newest pokémon, leaving his sister behind to deal with their mother. Ayla, for her part, turned to her mother, then seeing her nod to her, clearly telling her to go ahead, she said three simply words:

"Dave's egg hatched!"

"I see," Amelia said, nodding, smiling at her daughter, before frowning slightly.

"Anything you'd like to add to that... David?" she asked her son, stressing and using the formal version of his name, while looking right at him. "As in why you didn't deem it necessary to tell your dear mother about it?" she asked, sweetly, seeing his confusion.

Dave, cringed and blushed, then answered; "Sorry mom... it only just hatched, I...erm... forgot," he said sheepishly, blushing, as he retook his place at the table having just given Destiny her own portion of the Pokechow.

"You 'forgot'? ...'It'?" Amelia asked, stressing the 'forgot' and 'it' parts, while raising her eyebrows at her sons reply.

"What?...Oh!...er...sorry mom...yes I forgot to tell you that it...'she' only just hatched," Dave answered, correcting himself, red in the face, while poking at is food.

Amelia nodded, before continuing to eat her own breakfast.

A few seconds of awkwardness later she continued to speak. "You know David...your father and I are very proud of you...but you really do have to learn to look after your pokémon more. They aren't just common animals which you can ignore, or forget about. Not that you should ignore those either, quite the opposite... but... It's the little things in life which can make all the difference..." she said as they continued to talk.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Destiny was having a few problems of her own. She had just been presented with her very own first dish of Pokéchow. Basically, mass produced food for pokémon. A pokémon like herself.<p>

Now, this was not something she would have ever considered eating in the past. After all, in the past she had been a human. How however, she suddenly realised with a pang, that she was now expected to eat animal food, like the other pokémon. Looking at it horrified for a second, Destiny had to constantly remind herself that she too was now an animal...true, a very intelligent animal, a very dangerous animal, who was able to use elemental attacks, with the mind of a human, but never the less still an animal.

That meant, she now had to eat like one too. That meant: no forks, no knives, no spoons, no chopsticks... no manners and most likely a big mess. 'Oh joy!'

Sighing to herself, she laughed mentally at her current predicament. 'Well,' she thought to herself, 'When in Rome, do as the romans do... When in Pokéville, do as the pokémon do. You're a pokémon now, so act like one. It's not like anybody expects anything else anyway.' That thought, she moved forward and with a final sigh of submission to her current (and future) plight, she trust her head forward and started to eat.

It wasn't so bad. True, it was a little messy at first, but she soon got the hang of it.

As for the food: It was surprisingly tasty.

At first Destiny thought she'd never be able to eat it. But to her surprise, whether it was because her taste buds were now that of a pokémon, or because it really did taste good; she didn't now, nor did she care. Fact is the 'pokechow' tasted great, it filled her stomach...and it had all the nutrients her new body needed. That was all that mattered.

It took several minutes but finally her bowl was clean and fairly spotless. Destiny, now full, and happy that she hadn't made too much of a mess - or indeed a fuss over it - decided to take a look around the house. However just before she could manage to get to the door, she suddenly felt Amelia pick her up.

"Now, since you have finished, how about we take a look at you," Amelia said.

Destiny sighed. That was another thing she'd have to get used to, she thought. While she was indeed not a common house cat or a dog, humans, in particular her trainer, would now be able to order her around...or pick her up whenever they felt like it, and there was nothing she would be able to do about it. Well... nearly nothing. She could always run... or scratch, like a cat. Unfortunately, being a pokémon made that topic a little mute, as unlike a cat, her claws, or teeth, would actually be able to cause real harm. Harm which she didn't really want to cause. Sighing to herself once again, allowing Amelia to carry her, she let her carry her over to the table.

"Well...aren't you a calm one," Amelia said, as she looked at Destiny and started to examine her.

Destiny didn't know what was happening, but the woman was beginning to make her nervous.

'What is she looking for. Why is she looking at me like that?' she thought, nervously.

Amelia seemed to sense her unease because she soon stopped and tried to calm her.

It worked and Destiny was just about to relax when she suddenly saw a flash of light coming from her side.

Curious as to what it was, she tried to turn, but for some reason Amelia wouldn't let her.

Wondering what was going on and why Amelia was stopping her from looking, she was about to attempt to turn to look again when Destiny suddenly saw one of the other pokémon looking at her from a near by chair.

Harpy was looking at her... 'Wait a second, was that a sympathetic, knowing look on Harpy's face,' Destiny thought, then suddenly she heard Amelia speak.

"This will only take a second...Don't worry, it's for your own good."

'Take a second?... Own good? What do you...'

It was then she saw a needle in Amelias hands.

"Oh Fuck! NO!" she mentally screamed, as she realised what was happening.

Destiny only had enough time for her eyes to widen in horror before she felt a prick in the only soft part of her back side.

"Owww!"

"There, all finished. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Destiny groaned, then whimpered.

'I hate injections'


	4. Trouble in Paradise

**Chapter last edited on: **13/October/2013

* * *

><p>Pokéspeech= ::"Hello"::<p>

Pokédex speaking= (((Trainers are stupid!)))

* * *

><p><strong>Previously in paradox:<strong>

"Oh Fuck! NO!" she mentally screamed, as she realised what was happening.

Destiny only had enough time for her eyes to widen in horror before she felt a prick in the only soft part of her back side.

"Owww!"

"There, all finished. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Destiny groaned, then whimpered.

'I hate injections'

**And now the continuation:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Trouble in Paradise<strong>

* * *

><p>It was time to go outside.<p>

Problem was, Destiny didn't feel like it.

She had just been stabbed by a viscous object, an object known to most pokémon as: 'the necessary evil', or 'that-which-most-never-be-named-but-graciously-acc epted'.

Now she was sulking.

Who could blame her. Even in her former life, she never liked those 'evil' things. Yes, yes...she knew that it was only to help her. It was only for her own good. To keep her healthy, Yadda yadda yadda. It was a necessary evil. Still didn't mean she had to like it though. As a pokémon, the pain she felt hadn't changed much either. Damn evil things!

At that very moment Destiny was sulking and licking her wound... Dave for his part, was finishing up his usual morning chores.

Ayla, had already left for school a while ago and now Dave was getting ready himself; to head outside to see some friends.

Dave, as a trainer, was exempt from going to school, unlike his nine year old sister, who still had to wait until the end of the year, before she too could go on her own journey. That didn't mean, however, that he was exempt from state exams.

Anyone could become a trainer once they reached the necessary age of ten.

Your tenth birthday was when you could officially become an 'official' trainer and, if you didn't already have a pokémon at that point, it was also when you got your starter.

That didn't, however, stop younger children from catching one in the wild, or asking another trainer; usually a sibling, to do it for them, before their tenth birthday. Simply so that they could get a head start into training their pokémon.

Younger children still battled for fun, but they could not officially start their journeys, or participate in league gyms battles until after their 10th birthday.

As a ten, nearly eleven year old trainer, Dave was still expected to learn and study, just like any other child. Not in school, but rather during his free time. Passing was important. If a trainer didn't pass his or her exams at the end of every year, they would be forced to take a break from their journey's and go back to school for the next, until they had caught up again.

While Dave was clearing the table and washing the dishes (Ayla would do it in the evening) his pokémon were also taking care of their daily morning needs.

Sandy, as was usual for a ground type, was taking his usual morning sand bath out in the garden. Ringo, was taking a quick swim in a near by pond. Harpy was busy preening her feathers, while Charla was cleaning herself by licking her fur. Stinger, since he was currently in a cocoon, wasn't able to do much right now. So he simply sat and waited.

Finally finished with his morning chores, Dave quickly put on some outdoor clothes, before calling out to his mother that he was going out to visit his friends. Noticing that their trainer was leaving, the other pokémon quickly gathered up around him, eager to head out too. All, but one. Destiny was still moping around, sulking and still recovering from her recent vaccination.

"Ok everybody, it's time to have some fun...and maybe a battle too," Dave said, looking at each of them in turn, as they arrived back from whatever they had been doing.

Suddenly realising that his newest addition was missing, Dave took a quick look around and quickly found her, near by, under a tree. She seemed to be staring into space.

Laughing quietly, but also feeling some sympathy towards his pokémon, aware of what had happened to her that morning, Dave recalls his other pokémon into their pokéballs then walks up to her. "You ok?" he asks her kindly.

Startled out of her thoughts, Destiny turns around and looks at her trainer.

"I mean, you seem a bit down. Still mad about earlier?" Dave asked smiling kindly.

Realising that Dave had asked her a question, Destiny was just about to answer, but stopped when she remembered that he wouldn't be able to understand her anyway. This would take some getting used to, she thought. Finally she settled on a simple nod.

"Are you going to be ok?" Destiny rolled her eyes and nodded.

Satisfied that she was going to be OK, Dave took out her pokéball. Seeing the ball, Destiny flinched.

Seeing Destiny's flinch, Dave remembered his earlier promise to her. "Er...is it ok to put you back in?" he asked hesitantly, somewhat sheepishly. I know I said I wouldn't force you, but... I really want you to be a surprise. I promise I'll let you out as soon as I can," he said, hoping that she would agree.

Not really wanting to, Destiny was about to immediately shake her head in the negative, but then she stopped to think. Was it really so bad? Sure, the ball had tried to dominate and control her. It had tried to basically mind control her, but that part was over now...right? Wasn't it? She had survived it, willingly even. And it hadn't been that bad, all things considered. Surely there was no reason for it to happen again. Besides, she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't interested. In fact, she was very interested. She had only had a brief glimpse of the inside of her ball so far and from what she had seen it hadn't been that bad. In fact it hadn't been bad at all.

In the end, her curiosity winning out against her fear, she finally nodded her head in the positive and even answered with a soft 'Ci' (yes).

Dave, thinking that she was going to decline, was about to sigh, give up in resignation and leave her at home for the day, when she suddenly nodded her head, giving him permission to proceed.

Surprised, Dave immediately changed from being disappointed to really excited. "Great! Thank you... er...," Dave paused. He just realised he hadn't named her yet. Realising what was happening, Destiny immediately became very attentive. This was after all, important. This was her name that Dave was talking about.

"Hmm... let me see...I think...I will call you...," Dave mumbled as he pressed a few button's on his pokédex.

Destiny was getting nervous. 'Please make it a good one...please make it a good one,' she mentally chanted.

"...I'll call you...," he said again.

"Pa-Pa-cifi" (Yes? What? Get on with it already!)," Destiny said out loud, startling David.

"...I'll call you..."

"...I'll call you..."

"...I... I... don't know!...," he said suddenly, sheepishly.

"Pa?" ("What?") Destiny asked.

((( Name accepted!)))..

"WHAT!" both, pokémon and trainer said at the same time, looks of pure horror on both of their faces.

(((pokémon name accepted! pokémon will henceforth be known as: I DON'T KNOW!)))

"DOX!" (FUCK!)

Several tense minutes of apologising, grovelling and promises to change the name as soon as possible, to an angry pissed of pokémon, Dave, his face beet red at his latest blunder, enlarged Destiny's pokéball and pressed the recall button, before she could do any harm to him, ie. biting his toe.

Quickly recalling Destiny into her ball Dave face palmed and sighed. "Oh what a mess." Placing Destiny's pokéball on to the 6th slot of his belt, he quickly left the house, never noticing the laughing figure of his mother who had heard it all.

* * *

><p>It had finally happened. At long last Dave had finally named me.<p>

Not what you were expecting...right? Well...Do I have news for you! I confess, I didn't expect that either.

I was expecting a stupid name like Blacky, Snakey, Scales or even Snape. Maybe even Severus (even though that's a male name)...but not... I DON'T KNOW!

Even now, century's later, even though I have long ago forgiven Dave for his blunder, I still feel like crying out in anger at that atrocity of a name.

Sure, it was accidental... which was probably the only reason I didn't do something unforgivable to the poor boy, but still... Why!...Why Dave?...Why?

Sigh!

Anyway...

Let's talk about something much less depressing. How about...Yes!... I know: the Pokéball Dreamworld, or the Poké-matrix as I like to call it.

The moment Dave touched my pokéballs recall button, I was once again turned into a red light and sucked back into the ball.

However, unlike my first experience with the ball, this time I did not end up in a black void, but instead I appeared right in the middle of the same little sitting room I had already told you about earlier on. Only this time... it was different.

Unlike the sitting room I remembered from my past life, this one suddenly had everything a human turned pokémon could ever hope for: one huge soft and incredibly comfy recliner, one huge table which could grow larger or smaller at a mere thought, one huge 50 inch flat screen TV/super computer hybrid, which could also change its size at a simple thought... several book cases crammed with every book, video or game imaginable to a human or pokémon mind... a large bed, with enough room to host a harem...if one were into such a thing... I'd go on, but you get the idea. Hell... it even had mentally created butlers. Now that was nice!

And that was just the sitting room...

The poké-balls power is directly limited to its 'captives' imagination.

At a simple mental command the sitting room could change into anything you could ever wish for.

Ask for a gym?...No problem. The ball would provide you with an Olympic stadium, complete with a huge swimming pool and a fully equipped sports gym. Even designed for pokémon if you so wished.

Ask for a park? You'd suddenly find yourself inside a replica of the full beauty of the South Mountain Park of Phoenix Arizona.

Or maybe you asked for a forest instead?... in this case you might be dropped right into the middle of the Amazon rain forest, snakes and other local friendly inhabitants included. Don't worry, because you control the dreamworld, your immune to their bites...and besides, you control what they attack anyway.

I once asked if I could see Disney Land. A second later I was spending the rest of a day riding it's famous rollercosters, or enjoying it's many other attractions... all for free. Would it surprise you if I told you that I was actually annoyed with Dave, that evening, when he 'choose' me later on? I was having so much fun...I didn't really want to leave.

There is little a poké-ball can't replicate for you...and while it's true that a 'normal' pokémon would never think of imagining a library full of books on pokémon moves - at least I don't think they would - all you need, is to have a good enough imagination to do so.

Having said that... if for some reason you can't imagine something, or you simply haven't seen something before, then your out of luck. Even the poké-ball can't help you then. Oh, and of course, I did mention that creating food...at least real food, is also impossible.

In short...the poké-ball's power is limited to your imagination. If you can imagine it, or if you have experienced something like it before, it probably has the ability to create it. The more you know about something, the better it can be recreated. If you've never seen it before... well... chances are you wouldn't know about it, and therefore wouldn't miss it anyway.

I lost count of how many hours I simply wasted away in the comfort of one of my many balls throughout my many years as a pokémon, particularly the first few weeks. It does get a little boring though, after a while...after the first century or so. Still... all in all, I really can't complain. In the past I read many books like: 'Common Battle Tactics' by Lancelot '_Wataru'_ Lance, Champion of the Indigo league, 'How to train your pokémon' by Idelle Indigo, founder and first champion of the Indigo league, 'How to care for your pokémon,' by Professor Samual Oak and 'The idiots guide of pokémon moves,' by Mr pokémon.

Interestingly, and much to my extreme surprise, I once even found a biography called: " My Pokemon and I" by...

Red.

Yes!... THE legend himself... Red.

Just Red...no surname.

The very same Red who never once in his whole career lost a single match.

Well...at least not officially.

According to Red, as written in his biography...the battle against Gold had been a fluke and the result of a weeks long bad cold.

Of his pokémon...not himself.

Anyway...

As to my first stay in the 5 star hotel: The Royal Pokerama...er...I mean my ball, I spent it looking up and reviewing everything I knew about pokémon. Their types, their powers and their weaknesses. I spent some time reading up on the Kanto gym leaders...and I even read up on the League rules...

Did you know that in the past trainers were actually allowed to nominate themselves for battles in place of their pokémon?

Well, they could... Still can actually. The rule was never removed. There was only one stipulation: the trainer had to be the last to fight. Since once they fought they normally wouldn't have been able to give any further orders afterwards. It was usually suicidal...a last resort and while the trainer was highly respected for the effort, it usually always ended in the trainers humiliating defeat. That was probably also why they never changed the rule. After all, why would anybody want to do it in the first place? It made me wonder though. Could Ash have nominated himself and used his aura powers instead of charizard if he had had his powers during the indigo league in the anime?

Interestingly enough, the last time a human did win...yes win... against a pokemon...it was because the human was a fully trained aura user.

* * *

><p>While Destiny was having a grand time refreshing her mind on all things pokémon, thanks to her Alexandrian style library, aka the Pokéball - at least that which she knew so far - Dave was visiting some of his old friends at the old school grounds.<p>

Classes were currently in recess for lunch and Dave and a few of his old friends were enjoying a bit of the afternoon sunshine. One of these friends was a boy called Tom.

While Dave had passed, Tom Bates, on the other hand, was a trainer who had been unfortunate enough to fail one of his end of year exams, and had therefore been forced to delay his pokémon journey for a year.

Currently Tom was talking about a new pokémon he had caught a few days ago.

"So, there I was, pokéball in my hand, looking fearlessly at my newest pokémon. Oh sure...he wasn't caught yet, but it was only a matter of time and he knew it. I said to him...Squirtle, your mine, and then I threw the ball. Oh sure, he tried to get away. They all do. Even as tired as he was. But my aim was perfect. He never stood a chance...and then, well, as they say, the rest is history," Tom said happily, while glancing over to the said Squirtle. Around him a few of his class mates cheered and congratulated him.

"Near by, a few pokémon were sunning themselves, simply having a grand time, or even listening to their trainers speak. Two of them; Charla and the new squirtle were having a friendly staring contest. Charla seemed to be winning, but the squirtle was not about to let the fire lizard win that easily. Realising that he was about to lose against the fire pokémon, even if it was just a friendly staring contest, he opened his mouth and shot a weak water gun towards his opponent.

Taken by surprise, Charla only had a split second to dodge, barely managing to dodge in time. By doing so, however, she was forced to break her stare, while Squirtle had somehow managed to keep his.

::"Hey", not fair! You cheated,":: Charla said, angrily, giving the water turtle a glare.

The squirtle however just grinned and shrugged. ::"No I didn't. We never said we couldn't use our moves, just that we couldn't look away or blink,":: the squirtle replied victoriously.

Charla frowned and huffed. ::"You're a cheat and you know it. Enjoy your false victory":: she said, turning and walking away, her head held high. She knew she would have won if he had not used that water gun.

::"Yeah, yeah! Whatever makes you happy,":: the squirtle said in dismissal. Even so, he knew she was right. It really had been a weak false victory. One, which he vowed to win for real next time. Yes, next time he'd win for sure, without cheating.

Meanwhile back with the trainers, Tom had just finished brag...er...I mean colourfully explaining about one of his recent achievements, when Dave thought it was just about the best time to introduce his own recent addition.

"What about you Dave. Did you capture anything new lately?" his friend asked suddenly. Immediately everybody grew silent.

'Oh yes, now is the best time,' he thought and smiled, his hand already going towards his sixth pokéball.

Realising what their trainer was about to do, Dave's other pokémon quickly became alert and walked (or flew) over, something which did not go unnoticed by the other humans.

"You did, didn't you? I know you did. I can see it in your eyes." said Tom excitedly, as he watched the gathering pokémon, which, in turn, also caused another boy to quickly get up and call out: "Hey guys, come quick, Dave got himself another pokémon."

Immediately a few other children walked over, or in some cases, rushed over, which only caused Dave to grin even more. Inwardly though, he did feel a bit nervous.

That was the problem with being a 'favorite'. As one of his villages top trainers all eyes were on him. Everybody always watched him and everybody always expected him to be the best...or at least better than the rest of the village. There was only one person better than him in the village and...

...Speak of the devil and he shall show his ugly face.

'Oh no,' Dave thought and mentally moaned, as he saw his arch-nemesis and main rival, Peter Preston, aka 'Perfect Peter' walk over too.

"What's this I hear, did a certain loser get himself another stray weakling?" Peter said, in his best mocking voice, shoving aside a boy younger than him to get a better look.

Dave growled. 'I am so going to make you eat those words,' he thought angrily as he unclasped Destiny's pokéball from his belt.

Near by Dave's pokémon groaned and Harpy shook her head. 'Oh no!... Please, think Dave... This is not the right time. She isn't ready for this yet. She only just hatched. We don't even know what moves she knows yet. Hell, we don't even know 'if' she even knows a move yet," she thought dismally.

"How about we take a look...want a battle... Prick?" Dave asked with a glare, ignorant of his pokémon's thoughts.

Immediately everybody else started to take a few steps back. You could practically feel the excitement, stress, nerves and in some cases worry, rise by the second.

With a look of sympathy towards the pokéball and Destiny inside it, Dave's pokémon also stepped back. Whether they liked it or not, whether ready nor not, this fight would be Destiny's. For better or worse. They only hoped her destiny wouldn't end out in a humiliating defeat. What a way to start your pokémon debut.

Peter took a long calculating look at Dave, studying him intensely and frowned. Then seeing Dave's pokémon and their worried looks, or at least what he thought were worried looks, he frowned even more. This time though he was somewhat confused.

'Interesting, either he has a super strong pokémon with him, or knowing him it's still new and not ready yet. But even he wouldn't be that stupid... right? Its either that or he's simply over confident. Maybe even both. What to do?' he asked himself.

Unknown to the others around him, Dave was actually the stronger trainer of the two and Peter knew it. The only reason why he, Peter, usually won and not Dave, was because he actually took a second to think and plan, while Dave usually did not and usually just charged right in. The classic brawn vrs brain situation and as everybody knows, usually, unless the odds are completely against you, skill beats brute force every time, or at least most of the time. 'Better play this safe, he thought.'

"Nah, why bother, it's not like you're going to win anyway. There is no fun in beating a weakling like you," he said, in what he hoped was a casual dismissive voice and started to walk away, ignoring the crowd which had started to shout out in dismay and disappointment at his sudden refusal. Some even started to 'boo' him.

Hearing this Dave's pokémon started to relax.

"What?... Chicken?" Dave said, calling out and stressing the word 'chicken' angrily, a furious look on his face.

Dave's pokémon sighed and Harpy even wing-palmed.

Peter froze and stood still, shaking slightly with both; anger and fear. 'Damn it...nobody and I mean nobody calls me... chicken,' he thought furiously. 'I can't simply walk away now. My credibility as a trainer has been questioned. What to do?... what to do?...I... yes...I know,' he thought, a manipulative smile reappearing on his face.

"No, not chicken, I just don't want to humiliate a mouse like you in front of all of your adorable fans," Peter said as he turned around, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

This only angered Dave even more. "Yeah right! Everybody can see that your only trying to run away, you coward," Dave said angrily.

Peter sighed. At that moment he knew he'd have to do something drastic to save his reputation. It would not do to be thought of as a lowly coward - even if it was probably true. He only hoped it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass later on.

"Oh, very well," he said and sighed theatrically, making an act out of it, which caused quite a few laughs in the crowd. "Nobody should be able to say that I run away from battles. How about a little test to prove your worth it so? You beat...," he paused and quickly looked around..."Kevin here," he said, motioning towards a boy in the crowd"...with your mystery pokémon," here he paused again. "...and if you win against Kevin, who is VERY eager to battle you, aren't you Kevin?" Peter asked sweetly, stressing the word 'very,' while giving Kevin a glare which only he could see.

"I am?" asked Kevin confused, before seeing Peter's glare at which point, eyes wide, he nodded furiously and quickly added: "He's right...I am...very eager to battle you."

Peter nodded and continued: "... then I'll battle you...let's say next Tuesday, fortnight on the old battle grounds," he said, while closely watching Dave's face for any signs of weakness or uncertainty.

"What... that's not fair!" said Dave. "I want to battle you now. Kevin doesn't even want to fight," Dave added, noticing Kevin's unease. He knew perfectly well that Peter was only stalling for time and information.

"Life isn't fair David. It's cruel. Get used to it," Peter said, cruelly. Oh, and Kevin just said he did want to fight you. Right Kevin? Kevin quickly nodded, clearly intimidated by the older boy. " See...he said yes. Now what will it be?" Peter finished with a smirk. Nobody else dared to say a word.

Dave hesitated. Slowly, seeing that nobody was going to argue against Peter, he looked towards his other pokémon and cringed inwardly as he saw Charla shake her head from side to side, in a clear negative no.

He was just about to answer in the negative and say that it just wasn't the same and that it was a waste of time anyway when:

"What's wrong, Da-vid," Peter said, prolonging the Da and Vid parts, Can't take the heat? Kevin here too much for ya? I always knew you were weak," he said mockingly.

"Afraid of a rookie?" he taunted. "Maybe you're the one who's yellow around here, not me, you coward," said Peter, trying his best to rile Dave up enough, so that he would accept the battle, in this way insuring him the chance to see Dave's newest pokémon, and therefore to be able to hopefully plan a way to successfully defeat it, should Dave manage to win the battle.

Dave clenched his teeth, his body shaking in anger. He knew directly what Peter was planning. He was sure everybody else knew it too. It was the same way he usually won against others. Find out what he could about his opponents, then plan accordingly.

Seeing Dave clearly hesitate, Peter frowned. He realised Dave wasn't going to accept. He didn't want that. He really wanted...no, at that moment he knew... he 'needed' to see Dave's new pokémon. He really wanted to know what is was.

It was at that moment that he foolishly decided to gamble.

"Tell ya what...if ya by some crazy miracle somehow manage to win against me in two weeks time, in a full six on six battle... not that it will ever happen of course," he said cockily, making Dave growl. "Then I'll...,"

He suddenly hesitated. His eyes widened as he suddenly realised what he was doing. Swallowing deeply, realising he was already way past the point of no return, he tried to speak.

"...I'll...I'll...oh bugger, I'll...er...um...I'll...er...," he suddenly stuttered, took a deep breath, then continued.

"I'll give up on Lily and let you have her," Peter announced, clearly not thinking straight, panicking at that moment. He immediately felt sick at what he had just said. 'You idiot!.' he screamed at himself.

The whole yard became deadly quiet. It was so quiet you could have heard a flee bugger its mate on a leaf. This was serious business. Lily was the girl Dave and Peter had been fighting for, for several years now. She was the main reason for the boys rivalry. The main reason why both boys disliked each others so much. The main reason why their dislike had turned into a childish love feud. Both wanted her, badly, but of course only one could ever hope to have her, if at all. Both boys were adamant that they, and only they, would ever have her. At least, that's how it was in 'their' childish ten year old minds.

It had started as a simple love spat between friends. This disagreement had then, at one stage, turned into an infatuation between bitter rivals. Never mind that said girl might not actually even want either of them in the first place. Neither ever really bothered to ask her for her opinion... and simply took it for granted that she did. This infatuation had now officially changed into a love feud.

Hearing this, all of Dave's pokémon cringed and looked at each others in the utmost dismay. This was a disaster. If Dave had one weakness, then Lily was definitely it. At that moment it was pretty clear that there was no way Dave would ever be able to resist, or say no to Peter. Love made you do crazy things...

Poor Destiny. What a way to make her debut.

Dave was shocked. No scratch that, he was completely flabbergasted out of his wits. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Your serious about this? Do you really mean it?" Dave asked, suddenly hopeful, but also extremely nervous. Very, very nervous. Had Peter finally lost his mind? Had he lost his for that matter? he asked himself. "Your really going to simply give up on her after all of these years... if I win?" Dave asked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing and in front of all of these witnesses too.

Peter nodded, he really had no choice now. This was it, all or nothing, rien ne va plus. You name it. If this didn't work out, then his goose was cooked. "Yes I am...if...and that's a big if...if you win I'll give up on Lily. Having said that... If 'I' win, then you have to give up on her instead," Peter answered, somewhat cockily, though his heart wasn't in it any more. At that moment he wondered if he looked as scared as he felt.

Dave closed his eyes. His legs were shaking and he felt sick. He felt weak, really weak. For several seconds there was nothing but an eerie quietness. Nobody dared to say a word. Both boys were visibly shaking now, from fear, anxiousness and anger. Finally, Dave opened his eyes and looked up, determination in his eyes.

"OK...your on. Winner gets the girl, loser walks away and promises to never interfere again," Dave said. He was really feeling nervous now. He really hoped he had not just made a huge blunder, a blunder he would forever regret.

Peter also hesitated, but then agreed. He too hoped this wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass. "You do realise if you lose against Kevin, then I also win...right? Peter asked with a weak forced smirk. It was a shaky one at best. Dave swallowed nervously and nodded.

Peter shrugged. "Your loss," he said and gave Kevin a nod. Kevin looked unsure, wondering if this was really what he wanted, but a quick fierce glare from Peter had him stepping forward.

"Dennis, you OK with being referee again?" Dave asked, weakly, looking towards one the few neutral people in the area.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in my ball, I of course had no idea what was taking place in the real world at that very moment. In fact, at that moment I was actually sleeping. I had just spent the last few hours re-reading what I already knew on pokémon and as everybody knows - at least those who study - studying can make you tired, really tired, real fast, especially when your not used to it. I had settled down for a little rest. So, you can no doubt fully agree that I was fairly confused when I was suddenly woken up by loud gasps... and quite a few laughs too.<p>

Gasps, because I was, well, unique... laughs because well...I was still sleeping when I reformed outside of my ball and had to be woken up by my...extremely embarrassed trainer.

Not a good start to what was in fact actually a very, very important battle.

I only found out what it was all about later on that evening, which was probably for the best when I think about it. Had I known what the battle was about, at the time, I probably would have panicked. I probably would even have run away. Definitely not how I expected my opening debut into the world of pokémon battles.

Hell, I expected my first battle to be against some wild pokémon, maybe even one which had already been softened up by one of Dave's other pokémon. Definitely not a full blown important battle against another trainer...and not one with such high stakes. A battle where the ante was the love of my trainers life. I knew I was special, that my trainer would expect a lot from me, but seriously...come on. I was a newbie...a noob, a green horn, as green as they come. I didn't even know what I could do yet.

Sure, I knew I could bite. That much at least I had proven on Dave's toe earlier that day, but every living creature, human, mundane animal or pokémon, can bite. Every living being must be able to bite to eat.

But that wasn't actually a move.

It is very important to note that a normal bite is not the same as the dark move, 'Bite'. They are completely different. A mundane bite isn't even a normal type move. Hell, to an average pokémon a 'normal' bite hardly even tickles. How, just how could a new-born mon, like I was, possibly be expected to fight, let's not even talk about win. At least not in a real, full blown trainer battle.

Looking back years later, the only reason why I even had a chance at all was because...

Well...

See for yourselves:...

* * *

><p>Everybody was standing, waiting for the battle to start. Some watched anxiously, others not as much, all however were excited as both trainers took their places at either side of the battle pitch. Everybody thought it would be a quick and decisive victory. In fact nobody expected Dave to have any problems at all. He had already fought and won battles like these before, many times, against far stronger trainers than Kevin. Kevin himself was only a beginner and didn't for a second believe that he had the ghost of a chance against the villages number two.<p>

Peter also knew this. He one hundred percent believed that Dave would trash Kevin. Probably even with one hand tied behind his back, if he had to. Especially if what he thought - that Dave's mystery pokémon was a powerful one - was true. But that was OK. He got what he wanted. He would be able to see Dave's mystery pokémon and would therefore be able to prepare accordingly for his own battle in two weeks time. Even if Dave had a dragon type, even then he should be able to win. Every pokémon has a weakness somewhere. He'd just have to find it, and find it he would.

Walking up to his side of the school's pitch area, designated for pokémon battles, Dave nervously took his place in the blue box. 'What have I gotten myself into this time,' he wondered, mentally kicking himself for his rashness, as he held Destiny's ball in his hands. Taking a look around, he could see people placing bets and making jokes about who they thought would win. It was pretty clear from the 100 to 1 odds, that everybody thought that his pokémon would win without any problems. He noticed only very few people even bothered to bet against him and even those who did, were joking about it, clearly not expecting to win, but betting anyway, simply for the fun of it.

Looking at the score board Dave could see his and Kevin's names appearing and he nearly laughed when he saw the word winner already briefly flashing over his name. That cheered him up a bit and helped him settle some of his nerves, if only a little.

'What am I so afraid about anyway,' he asked himself suddenly. 'Kevin is a complete rookie. Everybody knows he only has two beginner pokémon. He has only fought three times so far, lost them all and only officially starting his journey three weeks ago. I already have won plenty. this should be easy' he thought, somewhat arrogantly.

"Trainers, prepare yourselves," said Dennis, an older boy, who had once again agreed to act as the referee.

"This will be a one on one battle. There will be no time limits and no switches allowed during this battle. The battle will end as soon as the opponents pokémon is knocked out, are otherwise unable to battle... or either side forfeits. Are both trainers in agreement with these rules?" he asked, looking once at Kevin, then once at Dave.

Both trainers nodded.

"Very well... I will now toss a coin to decide who will start. Dave will be heads, Kevin tails.

Having said that, Dennis throws the coin and it lands on tails.

"Kevin reveal your pokémon," said Dennis and stopped to wait.

'Damn,' thought Kevin, 'Now I don't know what type to use...Ah who cares, it's not like I'll win anyway. Might as well use...'

"I choose Caterpie," said Kevin, as he threw out the second of the only two balls he had.

Immediately the whole audience started to laugh. Even Peter managed to roll his eyes at the sight. Everybody knew using a level one pokémon like a Caterpie in a battle against Dave was like asking the poor bug to be squashed and eaten alive, with mustard and ketchup on top.

Dave couldn't believe his eyes. If the situation wasn't that serious he would have laughed too.

If anything, then this was the perfect opponent for his newest pokémon. Surely there was no way that this could possibly go wrong, could it?' he asked himself, a smirk appearing on his lips.

His fears momentarily forgotten Dave, threw Destiny's ball...

...only to be greeted by a sleeping pokémon.


	5. The Useless Pokemon

**Chapter last edited on: **13/October/2013

* * *

><p><strong>Previously in Paradox:<strong>

"I choose Caterpie," said Kevin, as he threw out the second of the only two balls he had.

Immediately the whole audience started to laugh. Even Peter managed to roll his eyes at the sight. Everybody knew using a level one pokémon like a Caterpie in a battle against Dave was like asking the poor bug to be squashed and eaten alive, with mustard and anchovies on top.

Dave couldn't believe his eyes. If the situation wasn't that serious he would have laughed too.

If anything, then this was the perfect opponent for his newest pokémon. Surely there was no way that this could possibly go wrong, could it?' he asked himself, a smirk appearing on his lips.

His fears momentarily forgotten Dave, threw Destiny's ball...

...only to be greeted by a sleeping pokémon.

**And now the continuation:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: The Useless Pokémon<strong>

* * *

><p>The moment everybody had been waiting for had finally arrived. Dave Stone, one of the village's finest, had finally unleashed his newest pokémon.<p>

The crowd was anxious...

The crowd was curious...

The crowd had very high expectations...

The crowd...

...was shocked silent!

Nobody dared to say a word. Even the wind and the birds were silent, or so it seemed. Seconds of awkward quietness passed by. Finally, someone in the crowd coughed.

It was at that point that the giggles, gasps of awe and hushed whispers started. Then came the jeers from his rivals.

'This can't be happening,' Dave thought to himself in denial. 'This simply can't be happening...not right now. Why here of all places?' he wondered, dismayed.

Waiting from the sidelines his other pokémon cringed and looked away. This was really embarrassing.

On the sideline Peter sweat-dropped, not sure whether to laugh and jeer or to be horrified and nervous. On one hand his rival was currently being humiliated, by his own pokémon no less. On the other hand, his rival had, from the looks of it, a rare and powerful pokémon. A dragon type by the looks of it. Taking out his pokédex Peter gave Destiny a quick scan and was dismayed to find no information on it. 'This could be really troublesome,' he thought with a gulp, worried.

Meanwhile back with Dave:

'Her first match...and she does...this!' Dave thought, dismayed at the current situation. Normally only Snorlax...or Abra slept at the start of a battle...it was even expected that they sometimes would...but not this one. Surely not this one.

Destiny, the main attraction. His rising star. His current only hope...was fast asleep in the middle of the battle field. What a hell of a way to make her official debut.

Closing his eyes for a second to calm himself from the sudden shock, he then tried to get her attention. "Ahem!...er...hmm...Wake up!" he said, loudly, awkwardly. There was no way he was ever going to say the name. Her name. The one he had given her. At least, not out loud. Not if he could avoid it.

Destiny, however, to his growing dismay... simply turned onto her other side and continued to sleep. Her snores, easily heard, across the otherwise silent battle pitch.

Slowly the murmurs of the crowd began to grow louder. Some people whispered amongst themselves. Most simply stared, too shocked to speak. All, however, wanted to know the answer to the same two questions: Is this for real? and; more importantly... What is that?

Red faced, blushing heavily, Dave looked at Dennis and gave him a pleading look. Normally he would not be allowed to wake up his pokémon by himself once a battle had started.

Dennis seeing Dave's look, look pity on him, and sighing, he walked up to Destiny and gave her a sharp poke, strong enough to wake her up.

Startled out of her dream, Destiny opened her eyes. Confused at first, clarity quickly came, then she screamed.

"DOX" (FUCK) she said out loud. Mortified, she jumped up.

By the looks of her current predicament, her trainer had called her out for a battle... A very important battle if the crowd was any indication.

Not good.

This was not your everyday friendly battle amongst friends. This was the real thing. As real as it got.

Slowly, humiliated, she looked around and groaned. It was at that moment that she fully understood what was actually happening.

'I can't believe this.' she thought, dismayed. 'I'm in the middle of a battle... I'm in the middle of a bloody battle. I can't believe I was asleep for my first effing battle,' she swore in her mind, nearly hysterical, horrified at what had happened.

'Oh I wish the ground would simply... Wait a second!... I'm...IN A BATTLE! she, mentally screamed, her mind stating the obvious, her eyes widening in alarm, as she suddenly realised even more what that meant...for her.

'Why am I in a battle? I can't be in a battle...not yet...I 'm not ready for a battle yet. I don't know any moves. Help!' she mentally cried out, subconsciously looking for an escape route, but just stopping herself in time before she could embarrass herself and her trainer even further than she already had.

'Wait, you fool. Calm yourself. Think for a second. Your in a battle. How would it look like if you, a pokémon, a dragon type at that, ran from a battle. Not good, that's what. Not good at all,' she told herself furiously. 'Oh this is so embarrassing.'

Calming herself, or at least doing her best to calm herself, Destiny took a second to study the situation.

Disaster averted, or at least further embarrassment averted, at least for now, Destiny tried to act as if nothing had happened. Quickly she turned to look for her opponent...

...and immediately sweat-dropped.

'A Caterpie?' she thought, looking at the clearly scared bug in disbelief.

'No wonder why he called 'me' out to fight...that!'

It's a bug. Bugs are weak against steel types like myself. Add my Dragon type too and this should be simple' she reminded herself.

Key word being 'should'.

'Well...let's get this over with. I wonder what moves I can do? I wonder what getting hit feels like. Hopefully it won't hurt too much. Well, no time like the present to find out. Though let's try to avoid getting hit,' she thought excitedly, suddenly somewhat eager to fight.

Looking behind herself for her trainer, she gave him a nod to show she was ready.

Dave sighed in relief. 'Finally! Well, at least she's ready now,' he thought, giving his pokémon a relieved nod back. 'We'll work on her sleeping habits later. For now though...' Dave turned to face Dennis and gave him a confident smirk and a nod.

Dennis, seeing both trainers readiness, also sighed in relief. He knew it wasn't directly correct procedure to wait for both trainers pokémon to be ready. Normally he should have simply started the battle regardless, but he had way too much respect for Dave, way to much, to start the battle while his pokémon was still asleep. He couldn't have done that to Dave. At least not when the stakes where so high.

"Begin,' he said and quickly took a step back.

* * *

><p>As the battle started Dave fully expected the battle to be a cakewalk... a blue milk run if ever there was one. After all, he had a dragonsteel type fighting against a Bug type. A Caterpie fighting against...

Dave mentally groaned again at the name...

'I Don't know'.

Dave, however, was about to find out that this battle was going to be anything, 'but' easy.

After all, how can anybody expect to win if: A: Their pokémon had never been in a battle before and therefore has no battle experience. If B: The Trainer has no idea what his pokémon can do and has not even trained the pokémon yet...and C: said pokémon doesn't even know any moves yet.

It just doesn't work that way and Dave was about to find that out... the hard way.

The battle had officially begun and almost immediately the problems started. Dave was suddenly faced with a conundrum: suddenly he realised he had no idea what his newest pokémon could do.

Confronted with the sudden problem he quickly decided to fall back to the basics: Every pokémon, or so he thought, knew at least one basic attack move. Unless you were a magicarp... those usually only knew splash.

As it was, most pokémon knew a move call 'Tackle'. A minority knew an alternate move called scratch. Others again had their own 'starting' moves. All usually had at least one offensive move. Fairly certain that his pokémon, being new, would know at least one of these, he quickly called out...

"Tackle attack, now!"

* * *

><p>A normal pokémon, if it did not know a move, would have visually acted confused, or would have simply not done anything. That would have told the trainer that his or her pokémon didn't know the move.<p>

Destiny, however, being Destiny, was not a normal pokémon. Far from it. Even as a pokémon, if you ignored her human side, she was far from normal.

Hearing Dave's command, she quickly tried to remember everything she knew about that move.

It wasn't much. It had been one of the first moves she had always had her digital pokémon forget, when playing the pokémon games back in her past life.

Sure, she knew it was a physical attack. She had seen it many times on TV. According to what she saw, she'd have to run at the other pokémon at high speed and ram into it with enough force to cause damage. Using her body to deliver the damage.

However seeing it done and actually doing it was not going to be that easy.

Almost already she noticed her first problem. She couldn't run. She realised she couldn't run, since she had no feet. Deciding that slithering like a snake wouldn't work, she hovered instead, as fast as she could.

Quickly she tried to ram into her opponent.

"Caterpie Dodge," Kevin frantically called out. From the sound of his voice it was fairly clear that he was very nervous. A nervousness which his caterpie sensed... and which in turn made him nervous too. Who could blame him. Under normal circumstances he would have been severely outclassed. The caterpie expected nothing less than to feel a lot of pain at any second now.

Trying to dodge, the caterpie soon realised that he was too slow, much too slow. The pokémon, whatever it was, was going much to fast for him to dodge. Closing his eyes he waited for the pain to come.

However, it never came. Instead of pain, he was greeted by laughs. The crowd was laughing? Why was the crowd laughing?

Opening his eyes, he sweat-dropped. The black and white dragon-like pokémon was mere centimetres away from him...with her face deep down in the dirt.

* * *

><p>Had it still been an anime, then Destiny was sure you could have quite literally seen the question marks appearing above the Caterpie's head, as she looked at the other pokémon, a completely bewildered look on his face.<p>

Unknown to the Caterpie, Destiny had somehow messed up her attack and - as incredible as it may seem for a hovering pokémon - tripped, yes, tripped on a small rock in the ground at the last few meters, causing her to fall face first into the dirt, her face landing mere centimetres away from the Caterpie, as if bowing to its great might.

It was a disaster. A pure and simple disaster. There was no other words to describe it.

Had Destiny still been human she would have been red all over in complete and utter embarrassment. As it was, she was no long human. That did not, however, stop the white parts of her skin colour from turning a distinct shade of grey. A grey that had little to do with the dirt from the ground.

Swallowing painfully, Destiny got back up and, doing her best to ignore the many jeers and laughs, hovered a few meters away.

She felt like crying, not from the pain, but rather from the shame, the humiliation she currently felt. Nevertheless she managed to stop herself. Now was not the time to cry. Even if she had every reason to do so.

At the side of the pitch Dave's other pokémon looked on in horror at what had just happened. Some even couldn't do that. It was just too painful, too humiliating to watch.

Dave to his credit, acted as if nothing was wrong, but inwardly it was a completely different story. Inwardly he was mortified speechless.

..

..

..

For three long seconds his mind was frozen, struck dumb. He was desperately trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Either his pokémon was the most unlucky pokémon on the planet (or close to it), or she really had just messed up one of the easiest, if not the easiest moves in the book, in a most spectacular way.

Swallowing deeply, no longer cocky, nor confident, his nerves sky rocketing at the mere thought of the second case being true, Dave took a deep breath to settle his nerves.

'Can this day get any worse?' he asked himself.

Taking another deep breath he wiped off some sweat which was suddenly dribbling down his brow. 'So much for an easy win,' he thought, as he turned his full concentration back to the battle.

"I don't know...what the hell just happened, but... Let's try this again..."

"Tackle attack, again." he ordered, hoping that it had only been a fluke accident.

Nodding, Destiny tried to tackle again, this time however, Caterpie was ready. The moment she started to charge again, Caterpie dodged.

Destiny, shot right past the bug then, unable to stop, overturned, literally, after getting caught on a root which was sticking out of the ground.

Seeing this, Dave face palmed and cursed, loudly.

'No fluke. She really messed up. Damn!' he cursed.

'Two - Nil, for the Caterpie!'

Slightly dazed and frustrated from her newest fall, but otherwise ok, Destiny took a step back to observe her opponent.

Obviously she was doing something wrong. That much was crystal clear obvious. The question, was what?

Deciding to let the Caterpie have the next move and to maybe learn from it, unless Dave gave her a new order first, for whatever good that would do, Destiny watched the bug closely.

* * *

><p>Kevin who had been watching the battle so far couldn't believe what he was seeing.<p>

'I came...'

'I saw...'

'And I can't believe my eyes,' he thought, his eyes and mouth wide open in shock. It was a thought which was closely mirrored by the whole crowd. This was completely unexpected.

'If this continues I might even win this,' he thought, dazed. Something unthinkable up to that moment.

"Caterpie...er...how about we give it a shot... OK? ...I...I know your scared, but this may be directly what we have been waiting for. Just give it your best. That's all I can ask for," he said, dazed.

Seeing his Caterpie nod, he gave his second order of the day.

"Caterpie... Tackle attack, now."

Nervously, not really expecting to actually hit, Caterpie, picked up speed, then, using his whole body, as small and weak as it was, as a battering ram, he tried a tackle attack of his own.

Destiny was confused. She saw the bug coming. It wasn't really difficult to do. She didn't know why, but the Caterpie was moving towards her in slow motion. It literally was as if the Caterpie was walking towards her, at a slow pace, not running as she expected it to.

Unknown to her though, the Caterpie was actually moving at a decent pace. To her it seemed as if the bug was moving slowly. In reality, however, it was anything but slow.

Getting ready to dodge as soon as the caterpie was close enough, Destiny suddenly heard Dave shout out to her to dodge far sooner than expected.

'But why?' she wondered. It seemed way to early. If she dodged now, the bug pokémon would have plenty of time to correct its direction and still hit her. She decided to ignore Dave and wait.

A big mistake.

Thinking she had plenty of time to react, it was for this reason why she was suddenly very surprised when, she too, seemed to be suddenly moving in slow motion, when she did try to dodge, a mere two seconds later.

Obviously she failed.

'What the hell?' she thought, just before she was hit head on by the full weight of the Caterpies body, plus Gravity.

Then came the Pain!

It wasn't a lot of pain...and nothing she hadn't felt before. It was much like the pain you would feel if somebody accidentally knocked into you. Her steel body even protected her from the most of the impact. But is was still pain. The impact stung and pushed some air out of her lungs, but that was about it.

It hurt, yes, but it was hardly anything to worry about. At least not yet.

Having said that, it was still a shock to her. Releasing a small squeal, not because of the pain, but rather because of the surprise of getting hit, Destiny quickly recovered and rose back up into the air to face her opponent once more.

All around them the crowd cheered, others jeered. Some in anger, a lot in worry and others in surprise. Nobody had expected this to happen. It was unthinkable. Dave Stone's pokémon, his 'ace,' was in trouble...

Big trouble.

* * *

><p>The situation was one word...<p>

FUBAR!

Dave couldn't understand what was happening. Why didn't she dodge?. Never in his wildest dreams did he believe he would be in such a situation. At least not in this battle. The battle really was 'fucked up beyond all recognition'. It was completely turned upside down. A Paradox, if ever there was one.

He, an experienced trainer, second best of his village, was being humiliated by a mere rookie, barely on his journey.

His newest pokémon, a dragon-steel hybrid was losing, yes losing, against a bug type... a Caterpie of all pokémon. His pokémon couldn't even do a simple tackle attack... a move which all...

NO...wait!... that was not completely correct.

It was a move 'nearly all' could do. The key word here being nearly. There were some which could not.

Some pokémon could scratch instead and did not know the basic tackle attack. 'Could she be one of those too?' he asked himself.

Slowly he Sighed in relief. He was really worried there a few seconds ago. But then he frowned. 'If she was, then why did she attempt the other move at all? Wouldn't she know she can't use it? Could it really be because she didn't know any better? She was after all a new-born,' Dave reminded himself, his worry returning tenfold.

'That's right. She's only a newborn. What an idiot I am. She probably doesn't even have an idea what she can do, let's not even talk about 'how' to do it' Dave suddenly realised, slapping his forehead.

'I guess we'll just have to learn by doing,' he thought. Deciding he had nothing to lose, he quickly gave his next order.

"Try a scratch attack, now." he said anxiously. He really hoped his theory was correct. If not...well...he didn't want to think about it.

This, however, really surprised the crowd. Was Dave out of his mind, many wondered. It was as if he didn't have a clue what his pokémon could even do. Little did they know just how true that was.

Hearing Dave call out the new attack, Destiny shrugged. Sure why not. Tackle attack wasn't working, so why not try a scratch attack instead. She did have claws after all. Yes, they were tiny little things, but they were still claws. Surely she could do a scratch attack...right? At least she hoped she could. She needed a positive result...and she needed it fast.

To do that however, she would still have to get close to the bug. Not as easy as it sounds.

Hovering towards the caterpie at a fair pace, taking extra care not to trip - she still had no idea how that happened - she got in as close to the caterpie as she dared and tried to scratch it.

Once again the key word here being 'tried'. Once again the unthinkable happened. It was like a curse:

The first few times she missed but then, finally, she managed to scratch the bug. Only... it didn't seem to work.

Oh, her claws, did hit...they even scratched...

They just didn't do any harm.

'What the fuck?' she thought once again, a thought which was mirrored by the crowd. Those were her last thoughts, just before she felt a moderate amount of pain as the caterpie slammed right into her with another tackle attack.

This time the pain was much sharper than before and it hurt a lot more too. Nevertheless, it only really hurt for a few seconds, after which the pain decreased until it was nearly gone, so she was able to get up relatively quickly without any real problems.

'Oh great...the caterpie scores a critical hit...and somehow my pokémon messes up... again. She can't even do a scratch attack right,' Dave thought, exasperated. 'Can she do anything right?' he wondered. He was becoming desperate now. He didn't now what do to anymore. He didn't have the faintest idea what to do now.

'I don't get it. What am I doing wrong?' Destiny cried out, doing her best to ignore the newest pain she was suddenly feeling. Around her the jeers were getting louder. They were openly taunting and making fun of her now.

Quickly she tried another tackle attack. This time she succeeded to hit the bug, but instead of doing any damage to the bug, she hurt herself instead.

Gasping as air was forced out of her by the sudden impact, Destiny stumbled back. Falling over she promptly hit her head off the ground.

Stumbling around, dazed, she desperately tried to stop the sudden black spots she was suddenly seeing and tried to get rid of the added dizziness she now felt.

Seeing this, Dave had his mouth wide open. 'If I didn't know better, I'd think she actually wanted to lose this battle,' he thought to himself, frantically looking for a way, any way, out of the current mess.

* * *

><p>Back in the crowd Peter was having similar thoughts. 'What is wrong with them?' he asked himself, shocked at what was happening. For a few seconds Peter actually felt a little sorry for his rival. He even cringed when the mystery pokémon hit its head. It was pretty clear that it had hurt.<p>

Meanwhile, all of his nervousness gone, Kevin was enjoying himself. In fact he was having the time of his life. His caterpie didn't even have to do anything and he was still winning. It was like a dream come through.

"Ok Caterpie...its time to try something different... Bug Bite...now," he said, momentarily completely forgetting that a bug attack was extra weak against a steel type. In fact it hardly did any damage at all.

Destiny, unable to make head or tails of the situation at the moment, due to her current dizziness was unable to dodge, or indeed attempt to stop the attack and was therefore promptly bitten. However, she was more effected by her dizziness from hitting her head of the ground, than by the pin-prick bite of the bug. It hardly even hurt. In fact, she hardly even felt it. It was more like a pinch than a bite.

At this point some of the crowd had already started to leave the area and go back inside the school building. Lunch was about to end in about fifteen minutes anyway. To them it seemed that it was only a matter of time for Dave's pokémon to lose. Only those who actually placed bets bothered to even stay behind anymore and that was only to collect their winnings later on.

Dave was stumped. Unable to understand or cope with the situation his mind was blank. He didn't have a clue what he should do now. This had never happened before. Only three sentences seemed to repeat themselves in his mind every few seconds:

'I'm losing,'

'I don't know what to do'

and

'this is a disaster'

In other words; he was beginning to panic.

Back on the battle pitch, Destiny finally managed to dodge her first attack. But that was only because Caterpie was starting to get tired and was slowing down. Still, she had finally successfully dodged the bug. Something had actually gone right for once.

Maybe, just maybe she still had a chance.

Kevin, seeing this, also realised that victory was not yet as assured as he had at first thought. That worried him. He had to think of something quickly, or else he might actually still lose the battle. He was not about to let that happen.

Suddenly he got an idea.

"Caterpie, quickly, try to capture it in a string shot."

Hearing Kevin's newest command, Dave suddenly snapped out of his delirium and immediately saw the newest danger.

'NO!...if she's caught then it's all over. I can't let that happen.' he thought.

"I don... oh to hell with this... Just Dodge it! What ever you do. Don't let it tie you up," he screamed out loudly, immediately realising what Kevin had planned.

Dave was starting to become hysterical at this point. That really shocked everybody, especially those who knew Dave best. Crowd, rival and pokémon alike. Dave usually never lost his cool.

It was at this point that Peter realised that his rival really didn't know what he was doing. Not anymore.

Slowly a smile was beginning to form on his face.

'Oh this is priceless,' he thought. Then, seeing what happened next, he laughed.

* * *

><p>The hour looked bleak.<p>

The situation... looked rather hopeless. NO...scratch that. The situation looked 'really' hopeless.

His rivals jeered and Dave didn't know what to do anymore except look on in horror at what had just happened.

Destiny... also didn't know what to do anymore.

She didn't know because... currently, she was pretty much... all tied up.

The Caterpie had once again managed to do directly that what she somehow couldn't, actually hit her with an attack, and had managed to catch her with a string shot.

Suddenly finding herself, trapped and tied up tighter than a christmas turkey on the way into the oven, unable to move any of her limbs - well, at least she wasn't stuffed...or worse, dead - all Destiny could do was watch...and wait.

Kevin seeing the hopeless situation looked at Dennis and raised his eyebrow. His unasked question was clear: What are you waiting for? Call the match already!

Dennis however shook his head.

Looking over to Dave, Kevin only saw his opponent staring into space, a shocked, depressed look on his face. Realising he was out of it, literally, and was not about to answer anytime soon, Kevin turned back to Dennis.

"Aren't you going to call it? Dave's not doing much and to be frank he looks pretty much hopeless right now... As for his pokémon...well...let's just say I feel sorry for it, whatever it is," Kevin said, not wishing to do any further unnecessary harm, at least not if he didn't have to. As far as he was concerned this battle was over. Continuing would only be cruel to the pokémon. That was something he didn't want. It had already been humiliated enough already.

Dennis however looked at Dave, then shook his head, again.

"Sorry Kevin. I feel the same way. However, unless it's clear that a pokémon is put into a life threatening situation, I can't end the battle until either; one trainer officially gives up and recalls his or her pokémon or until either pokémon faints," Dennis said. He too was looking at Destiny with pity. 'No pokémon deserves this,' he thought.

Meanwhile, Dave was currently battling with similar thoughts. His eyes overshadowed by his hair, his head down, a glassy look in his eyes, he looked like a deeply troubled youth.

Even so, he wasn't ready to give up yet.

Not just yet.

For the first time since the start of the battle he was starting to think clearly again...

'Ok...think Dave, for once think! You've been through worse... right? Well maybe not, but still... think! What options do we have here. What can we possibly do to fix this mess,' he wondered.

'I don't know - God I hate that name - can't move right now, so moves are out. Not that it would do much of a difference anyway if she could. She is , I hate to say it, but she is fairly useless right now, so even if she could, it would probably do more harm than good,' he reminded himself as he studied the situation.

'She can't dodge now either... again not much of a difference there either if I think about it.'

'In short...there is nothing, absolutely nothing short of a miracle that can win this right now...'

'Damn!'

Dave sighed heavily. 'Looks like this is it...' he thought, sullenly. Not wanting to, but seeing no point to continue, seeing no alternative, he slowly put one of his hands on Destiny's pokéball, getting ready to recall her.

He really didn't want to...but if there really was no way out of this mess... or was there?

For a second he stared at his newest pokémon and frowned.

'There must be something I can do... but what,' he wondered. 'It can't end like this, not like this,' he thought, desperately, refusing to fully accept the situation for what it was. A real hopeless situation. 'There is always something,' he thought.

Removing his hand from the pokéball, he brought his hand back up and glared out across the battle pitch. 'I just have to find it, and fast,' he told himself.

'Besides, if this really is it, then at least it will not be because I gave up. No... Definitely not!'

'NO!'

'If I...we...fail...,' he shuddered at the thought. 'Then let's at least do it fighting...to the bitter end,' he told himself. Suddenly he looked up, a small spark reappearing in his eyes, as he suddenly thought of something. Maybe there is a way... Its risky, oh its risky...and I am putting a lot of trust in her...but...what do I have to lose... I...I mean worst we can do is fail... so let's at least give it all we've got. I only hope she can forgive me for this,' he hoped. That thought, he put his full attention back to the battle.

Realising that Dave was not going to give up. At least not yet, Kevin sighed. "Looks like we are going to have to do this the long and hard way after all," he said, quietly to himself. "Sorry... whoever, or rather whatever you are," he said softly. "But, your trainer is being stubborn. For what's its worth I'm sorry," he added, then looked at his caterpie and gave the order to attack.

"Caterpie...let's end this...quickly. Let's put it out of its misery. Attack at will... Tackle attack...and keep doing it until it faints or I say otherwise," he ordered and looked away.

* * *

><p>While all of this was happening, Dave's other pokémon were looking at Destiny with sadness.<p>

It was worse than they had ever expected. Horrified and embarassed over their pack mates humiliating defeat - at least so far - they could do nothing, but watch helplessly at what was happening.

"Screw this," said Sandy suddenly. "If Dave doesn't end this soon, then I will," he said angrily.

"Don't! I mean... Don't do something you'll regret," said Harpy, in a warning tone. "If you interfere in the battle Dave might never forgive you for it... Only he can end it now. We must have faith in them. Besides, it's bad enough already that Destiny will feel his wrath when she finally faints... you don't have to feel it too," she said.

"I don't care. This could really hurt or even mentally destroy her. Quite frankly...if Dave can't accept the fact that he's only hurting her and not accomplishing anything from it, then he doesn't deserve to be a trainer," Sandy answered angrily, shocking the others.

"Do you really mean that?" Charla asked, sadly, she was looking really depressed. She had been Dave's first pokémon. To see him in this much trouble and to hear Sandy say that... it really hurt her emotionally.

Sandy sighed. He was feeling terrible.

"I don't want to mean it. I don't want to see Dave sad. However, I don't want him to regret this either...and I definetly don't want Destiny to suffer for no reason, for a stupid challenge which never should have been made in the first place," Sandy said, getting louder near the end.

Charla shook her head. "It's best if he comes to that conclusion by himself...if we interfere it... it might just drag him over the edge," she finished quietly.

Ringo looked at her shocked. "Do you think he would... you know..." he asked, looking at them horrified.

"Truthfully...I don't know...Lily has been a large part of his life for the past few years. We know that. For him to lose like this..." she said, but didn't finish. There was no need to. All of them knew what that girl meant to both boys, foolishly or not. It didn't matter if they hadn't even asked her yet what 'she' even wanted. Fact was the boys wanted her and would not settle for anyone else and would not stop until either one of them gave up.

Stinger, who had been watching the battle suddenly spoké up. "Charla is right. For better or worse, Dave and Destiny have to finish this themselves. If we interfered it would do more bad than good," he said solemnly.

"I'll be laughing though when Lily refuses Peter in the end," said Harpy, a small smile on her beak. "Maybe this is for the best," she added. "Better Dave looses and gives up on his fake dream -a dream which never had a chance of becoming reality anyway- than him winning and suddenly finding out Lils doesn't even want him in the first place," Harpy said, rolling her eyes at both boys stupidity.

Sandy sighed, then he shrugged, his head bowed. " All right...your right. I'm not happy with it, but I guess I owe both of them that much," he said looking at the battle, before he suddenly smiled. "Besides... come to think of it, it's not over just yet. It may seem hopeless...however, maybe she doesn't have to actually do anything to win..." he said looking at the caterpie, noticing something which gave him some hope.

"What? What do you mean? She's being hammered out there," said Ringo, who quickly looked over to the two fighting pokémon. Destiny seemed to be getting her ass spanked out there.

"Look closely... Do you see anything...wrong with the Caterpie?" Sandy said, hope back in his eyes.

The others looked at the caterpie slowly. "No...I don't see anythi...Oh! I see..." said Harpy, smiling suddenly as she saw what he meant.

Charla shook her head. "Of all the possible ways to win...I never thought it could be this," she said amused.

"I don't believe it... I just don't believe it... That has to be one of the most unorthodox ways of winning," Stinger said, shocked, then he laughed.

Charla smiled but then shook her head. "Not yet... It can still go either way. Laugh once the battle is over, but not before," she reminded them, which caused the bug pokémon to sober up.

"Right!" he said and the others nodded. "Battle first...laughing later...got it," he said, then turned back to look at the battle.

* * *

><p>"Pa - Ci - Fi - Dox - Paaaa" ("Ow, ah, Ouch, Fuck no...Ahhh.")<p>

Destiny cried out in pain again and again as another tackle attack from the bug hit her in several particular places.

Currently she was in so much pain that she could hardly think clearly. Worse, she couldn't do anything to stop it either. She was, literally and figuratively, tied up and couldn't do a single darn damn thing about it.

Meanwhile the caterpie was continuously hammering away at her, one tackle attack after another.

Caterpie had been ordered to 'finish her off' by his trainer. Destiny had hoped that Dave would end her suffering and forfeit - like she would have done if she were in his shoes - she was after all unable to do anything to stop the bug.

'"Owww," she cried out as she was hit again. ...'Damn it...I havn't felt his much pain since...I can't remember...,' she thought, feebly through her pain. Even her type resistance was beginning to fail now.

At that moment she was covered in bruises where her natural steel protection had been chipped away. Destiny knew very well, that the only reason why she was still awake, was because she was a steel type pokémon. Had she been any other type, besides maybe a rock type, she would have fainted ages ago. It was only her high physical defense, due to her type superiority, why it hadn't happened yet. At that moment Destiny would have gladly welcomed 'it' though. At least if she were unconscious the pain would stop, if only for a short while. Once again, but not for the last time, Destiny wondered why she ever took Arceus's offer.

'What did I do to deserve this,' she thought, pittyfully, between new hits from the caterpie.

Looking up at Dave she whimpered and begged him to stop the fight. Dave however forced himself to stay cold, as cold as ice. It was as if he didn't care. Or rather, doing his best not to.

I can't believe this...how can he be so cold, so stubborn, she thought though her increasing pain and tears. 'Doesn't he realise how much pain I'm in? Doesn't he care?,' she asked herself. At that moment she hated Dave for allowing this to happen. 'Just end this already,' she mentally screamed as another yelp of pain left her mouth. 'This is no battle, this is torture,' she screamed mentally.

* * *

><p>Unknown to Destiny, Dave was having similar thoughts.<p>

'Come on already...get tired,' Dave mentally said through clenched teeth, mentally talking to the caterpie. He couldn't stand to hear his pokémon cry out like that. It was tearing at his heart. 'How can I allow this to happen to her. Am I really this cold?' he asked himself, regretting every cry of pain from his pokémon.

Subconsciously he noticed a few people in the crowd were getting angry at what was happening. It was at that moment that he closed his eyes in defeat.

'If that caterpie doesn't get tired soon, I will have no choice but to stop the fight,' he thought to himself, really depressed now.

'It's either that or I might lose my license over this,' he realised, dismally. 'Even now I'm already toeing the line,' he thought, wincing when Destiny let out a particular loud wail.

Sighing to himself, Dave lowered his head then made up his mind. 'Enough is enough,' he thought, defeated.

Slowly he moved his hand back to Destiny's pokéball and unclasped it from his belt. Doing his best to ignore the tears of defeat which had started rolling down his face, he pushed the button to expand the pokéball.

Openly crying now, he brought up the ball and pointed it at the, in pain and now heavily crying pokémon.

'I'm so sorry,' he thought, as he sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me," he mumbled, hating himself and momentarily fumbling, he dropped the ball. Picking it up again he finally gave up and willed the ball to recall his pokémon.

"I don't know... *sigh* Return," he said quietly, sighing, and with that he willed the red light, this time a sign of bitter defeat, to travel across the pitch towards it's intended target and return her to the ball.

Out in the pitch Destiny noticed the red light travelling towards her and sighed in relief.' Only a few more seconds,' she thought, absolutely relieved, at that moment, seeing the balls red light coming towards her. Out in the crowd Peter and a few remaining spectators cheered, while others again groaned.

Dave's other pokémon closed their eyes in defeat but they accepted the outcome. It was for the best.

Then, suddenly, Destiny's eyes widened. It was at that direct moment that she noticed the caterpie, falter and fall over, exhausted.

Dave's eyes also widened as he noticed the caterpie fall and looked at the red light in horror.

'What have I done,' he thought, dismayed.

Dave's other pokémon cried out in disbelief. 'This couldn't happening,' they too thought in dismay.

Peter's eyes widened and then he began to laugh, loudly.

"NO...STOP!...WAIT!", both trainer and pokémon cried out at the same time...

But by then it was too late.

A second later the red light enclasped Destiny...

At that same moment the catepie finally fainted.

Then Destiny was gone.


	6. The Aftermath

**Chapter last edited on: **13/October/2013

* * *

><p><strong>pokédex: <strong>((("This author does not own pokémon")))

**pokéspeech: **::"I eat trainers for breakfast...and you for lunch"::

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on Paradox:<strong>

Suddenly, Destiny's eyes widened. It was at that direct moment that she noticed the caterpie, falter and fall over, exhausted.

Dave's eyes also widened as he noticed the caterpie fall and looked at the red light in horror. What have I done,' he thought, dismayed.

Dave's other pokémon cried out in disbelief. 'This couldn't happening,' they too thought in dismay.

Peter's eyes widened and then he laughed, loudly.

"NO...STOP!...WAIT!", both trainer and pokémon cried out at the same time...

But by then it was too late.

A second later the red light enveloped Destiny...

At the same moment the caterpie finally fainted.

Then Destiny was gone.

**And now the continuation:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 The aftermath<strong>

* * *

><p>Destiny was gone... sucked back into her ball.<p>

Simply gone!

...and with her, all hope of victory.

Dave fell to his knees, defeated.

Defeat...what an ugly word. Yet all so true, especially at that very moment.

'If only I had waited a second or two longer,' he thought, dismally. 'If I only I had waited just a few seconds longer I would have won,' he thought and looked down to the ground.

'If only... yeah, if only,' he thought miserably, bitterly.

'If only she...,' Suddenly his eyes widened. 'Wait!' he thought. 'Maybe there is still hope.'

Quickly he looking up at the ball. Holding his breath in clear anxiety, he watched his pokémon's pokéball closely, willing for her to break free from it, like she had done before. Alas, it was not to be. The pokéball in his hands remained silent.

Sighing in bitter defeat, Dave slowly shrunk then reattached the ball, now in its shrunken form, to his belt. Waiting a minute to wipe away a few tears which were threatening to fall from his eyes, he tried to calm himself a bit. He didn't want anybody to see him in his current state.

A few seconds and a few deep breaths later he soon felt he had enough control to continue. Slowly he left his box.

While a bit of sadness was of course expected - he had after all lost...badly - it would simply not do to be seen as a crying mess. He could cry later when nobody was watching. And cry he would...he was sure of it, but not now.

Slowly, in a slight daze, he started to walk up to where Dennis and Kevin were waiting for him, all the while, taking as much time as he dared to take while doing so. Dave didn't really want to hear Dennis announce the winner, he was fairly sure it was not him. However, even so, he realised he had no choice. It was either that or risk being known as a bad loser...or worse...'a cry baby'. He shuddered at the thought. As if he hadn't been humiliated enough already. No, that would simply not do. Besides, some after battle etiquette had to be upheld after all, whether you're the winner or not.

Walking up to Dennis he was was surprised to hear him arguing with Kevin.

"But he recalled his pokémon before Caterpie fainted," he could hear Kevin argue loudly. It was fairly clear, from the sound of his voice, that Kevin was a bit peeved about what Dennis was telling him.

"That may well be, Kevin, however, your caterpie fainted 'before' Dave's pokémon was returned," Dennis said, stressing the word before.

Dave's heart soared with hope as he heard Dennis's words. Could he actually have won after all?" he asked himself. He couldn't see how. In fact he doubted it. But, if Kevin was arguing... well, what other reason could there be? he asked himself quietly, a spark of lost hope reappearing.

Quickening his pace to a near run, he reaching them shortly thereafter.

"What's wrong?" he asked, finding it difficult to keep the new found hope and excitement he now felt from his voice.

"Ah, Dave," said Dennis turning to look at him. Kevin simply stayed silent, an annoyed but resigned look on his face.

"We were just trying to decide on who had won," said Dennis, a small smile appearing on his face as he saw the hope on Dave's face. This smile however disappeared quickly with what he said next.

"Unfortunately...it won't be enough to win your bet," he said, sighing softly, his smile replaced by a frown.

Dave's hope vanished, instantly.

"So... I did lose?" he asked, quietly, although it was more of a statement than a question. Closing his eyes, he had already reaccepting his fate.

"No," said Dennis, surprising Dave.

Dave opened his eyes and stared at Dennis. "So I did win?" Dave asked, confused.

"No, you did not," Dennis answered, a small grin forming on his face. He loved messing with people.

Kevin sighed dramatically. "Neither of us won...It was a bloody draw," he said rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up into the air in exasperation.

"Huh!" said Dave, completely baffled. He wasn't sure what to think. Were draws even possible? he wondered. It seemed they were.

"Kevin's Caterpie fainted at the direct moment your pokémon was recalled, hence it was a draw since both were defeated at the same time, even if you did recall your pokémon first. Both cases count as a loss...and since they happened at the same time it's two loses and since it was a one on one battle, therefore also a draw," Dennis explained.

"There goes my first win," Kevin said, in a disappointed soft whine.

"Unfortunately for you David we are not in an official league match. If it were, the judges would have picked out one of you as the winner, based on moves used and skill shown by both trainer and pokémon. Though in all honesty... after what I just saw I seriously doubt it would have been you, after what I just saw," Dennis finished, apologetically. "

"Which also means you lost our bet since I said you had to win your fight with Kevin to qualify for our battle. A draw is simply not enough. Sucks to be you," said Peter who choose that moment to include himself to the conversation, a large victorious grin on his face. He had arrived directly after Dave to hear the result.

"Oh!..." was all Dave could say in response. What else could he say. He was hardly going to congratulate his arch-rival. Surely nobody could expect that from him. Could they?

"You may not have lost per se, but you didn't win either... hence you lost the bet... and you know what that means... right?" said Peter, who was grinning widely and hoping to rub his victory into Dave's face. You could practically hear the joy in his voice.

Luckily, for Dave, it was at that moment that the end of lunch school bell rang, signaling that everybody - who was not an exempt trainer - should go back to class.

Hearing that he had to go, Dennis quickly interrupted Peter's taunt, right before Dave could reply.

"Well, gotta go guys. Don't want to be late...or at least later than I have to be," he said, looking anxiously from his watch to the school door and away from the two rivals. You should go too Dave," he said as he hurried of, only too eager to get away from Peter.

Dave, taking the hint, quickly made good use of the interruption, turned around and started to walk away. At that moment he wanted to get as far away from Peter as he could.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, loser," Peter said shouting at Dave's retreating body.

Dave only stopped to quickly recall his other worried, somewhat nervous and overall sad looking pokémon, before continuing his half run, away from his gloating arch rival. It was bad enough that he had lost. He really did not feel like listening to his rival gloat too.

"Just remember...Lily is mine now," said Peter loudly, in a way which strongly suggested that the girl in question was only an object to be won and nothing else.

Dave gritted his teeth in anger but didn't turn around. Doing his best to ignore Peter, he kept on walking away at a fast pace.

Luckily Peter didn't follow him, else he may not have been able to control himself and would probably have started a fight with the bloke. As it was, a few minutes later he found himself in a near by park.

Quickly finding a deserted bench he sat down on it and covered his face with his hands.

It was only then that Dave finally allowed his grief to take him into its cruel unmerciful embrace and it was only then that he finally let his tears fully fall.

In one short battle he had not only lost the battle, in a very humiliating way, but he had also lost a lot of respect and credibility from his peers and the love of his life too.

Even worse...he had even willingly allowed his pokémon to be tortured during the battle. That above all else made him feel terrible.

Dave knew that, had the last battle been an official battle, then there was a high chance he could even have had his license suspended.

All in all, this was turning out to be one, if not the worst day of his life, or so he thought.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, while Dave was lamenting over the unfairness of his life, I, back in my ball, was also coping with the 'defeat' in my own way.<p>

Oh believe me when I say that I had, at first, tried to mentally stop the 'red light' from recalling me, but that had quickly proven itself to be impossible. A pokémon only has control over the ball once in the ball and not while in transit.

I had even thought of jumping out of the lights way first, but that had quickly proven itself to be even more impossible.

After all, at the time I was pretty well all tied up, no pun intended... well maybe a little.

Later, when already in the ball, I tried again, thinking of all the times when Misty's Psyduck had done it...but again, to my increasing dismay, it hadn't worked. So in the end I was forced to simply sit down on my virtual bed, and watch, TV to the outer world switched on, as the fight was declared a draw.

Now!... One might think a draw isn't so bad when one was losing as painfully as I had, especially when you consider that I had no skill, or indeed no moves to call my own, before going into said fight.

Seeing Dave, crying moments later in the park, however, just didn't let me feel any happiness. How could it. I mean... what good is a draw when after everything is said and done the draw is still a defeat. A crushing, humiliating one at that.

Of course, thinking back, nobody could have really blamed me for what had happened. A fact which even Dave had quickly understood not long afterwards. After all, I hadn't made the bet, Dave had. I had not been trained for the fight. I was just a new-born, barely a day old, untrained and untested. I had - in my opinion at least - tried my best, given the circumstances. Not like Ashes Charizard who had simply refused to fight.

No! In the end it had been Dave's fault...and perhaps a bit of Peter's for riling Dave up as much as he had.

Dave had quickly realised and accepted that fact. So he had, thankfully, never held it against me.

That's not to say that I didn't get a good scolding for sleeping at the start of the battle. But seriously...how could I have known he was going to call me out for a 'real' battle, so soon after hatching.

It was only later that I learned the universal rule all captured pokémon knew of, to deal with such a situation: To mentally prepare to wake up at a seconds notice. To always expect the unexpected and above all else...if you did fall asleep...never to let anyone know that you had indeed fallen asleep, if at all possible.

Some pokémon even went so far as to try to go to sleep with one eye open, though few were successful.

As for me...well, I later solved that problem in my own unique way: by ordering the ball to emit a loud alarm signal, usually a fog horn, the moment the ball was enlarged by my trainer. To this date it never once failed to wake me in time.

Nevertheless, a defeat was a defeat and so no number of excuses could have made it any better for either of us.

Luckily, help came not long after, from an unexpected source.

I still remember, I was just about to turn the TV off to get some well earned rest and to recover from my many injuries -injuries which I thankfully couldn't feel, thanks to the ball- that I nearly missed another person...a girl at that, nearing Dave's position.

* * *

><p>Dave didn't realise he was not alone until the other person was already beside him. It was a few minutes later that he finally had calmed down enough to notice the shadow the new person was creating a few meters away from him.<p>

"You OK?" the voice asked, kindly.

Startled Dave looked up and cringed.

"What?...Lils? ...Lily!...," he said, surprised and awkward at who was standing beside him.

'Oh no...she saw me cry... What is Lily doing here?' he thought, trying desperately to hide his remaining tears from his now former love.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out, before he could stop himself. Almost immediately he felt like slapping himself. 'Way to go, idiot,' he thought, his face turning red, or at least redder than it already had been before his comment.

"What, can a girl not comfort a friend in need?" Lily answered quietly, softy, but loud enough for Dave to clearly hear her.

Dave's heart missed a beat. Lily, sweet Lily wanted to comfort him?

"Of course you can," said Dave, but then his demeanour suddenly changed and he quickly stood up and moved away from her.

"But you really shouldn't be here," he said. "Not anymore at least," he added sadly, already starting to walk away.

"Oh!...Why not? Is this perhaps because of a certain bet two stupid, immature boys made?" she asked, again in her soft voice, although a bit louder and there was a certain amount of scorn present in it this time, scorn which Dave quickly noticed.

Dave stopped moving and turned around, cringing a bit more. "No," he said, a bit too quickly and rather loudly, which caused Lily to raise her eyebrows and look at him in a way which clearly challenged Dave's claim.

Dave sighed..."Oh, Ok!...Yes it was because two... idiots, who made a bet, a bet which one of those two idiots couldn't win, because he really should have known better," Dave said bitterly, while walking back to the bench and sitting down again, sorrow clear in his voice.

Lily stepped forward and sat down beside him.

"Can you tell me about her?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh?" said Dave taken by surprise, puzzled. He could only stare at Lily, a confused look on his face, before he realised what Lily had meant.

"Oh...her... well," he said flustered. "Well, there isn't much to say really. She only just hatched...She's a Dragon-Steel type..." he paused and didn't continue.

"And?" asked Lily.

Dave didn't answer.

Lily sighed. This wasn't going the way she had planned.

"Does she have a name?" Lily asked.

Dave turned beat red. "I don't know," he mumbled blushingly.

"Oh, So you didn't give her a name yet," said Lily.

"No...I did," said Dave, miserably.

"So..what is it?" she asked.

"I don't know,' said Dave who was getting redder by the second out of pure embarrassment.

Lily was confused. "But you just said that you...oh...OH!" Putting her hand to her face she began to giggle, which caused Dave to groan miserably. He really didn't need this right now.

"Only you," she said, shaking her head, while smothering any further giggles with her hand.

Dave covered his face in his hands. This was so humiliating.

"The poor thing, to be saddled with a trainer who can't even name her correctly," she said, a smile on her face, her eyes sparking with mirth in the afternoon sunlight.

"Yeah...only me," said Dave, somewhat muffled, speaking through his hands, although he too was also smiling a bit now.

Suddenly Dave looked at her. "Shouldn't you be in class? he asked, changing the topic, wondering what she was doing out in the park with him. Lily, as far as Dave knew was not a trainer, thus she still had to go to school.

Lily however simply shrugged as if she didn't care.

"I suppose. But I'm sure the class can do without me for once," she answered, which made Dave raise his own eyebrows questioningly. He didn't think Lily was the type of person who would skive of classes. At least not without a good reason.

"Oh... misplaced your homework, did you?" he asked jokingly, to which Lily gave him a small playful slap and a mock pout in retaliation.

"Nah! I'm a good girl...usually. I'll find a way to sneak my work in later on...or failing that, serve my time in detention with grace. Besides, I'm sure missing one class this year won't be the end of the world," she said. "I simply thought helping a friend in need was more important than listening to ol' James croak on about what the root of two hundred times fifty seven to the power of ninety nine point six, divided by one hundred thirty three is, or to listen to him explain why the banana is round and not straight," she answered, with a mischievous smile, imitating her teacher's voice, to the best of her ability, which caused Dave to smile, then laugh.

"I'm sure one class won't be the end of the world. I simply thought helping a friend in need was more important," she said, seriously, back to her own normal voice, which caused Dave to lose his smile and look at her.

"Lily..." he said quietly and paused.

"Yes!" Lily answered, also looking at him.

"Thank you!" said Dave.

Lily simply nodded. "Your welcome," she said softly. For a few seconds both simply looked at each others, then suddenly they hugged. The hug lasted for a few minutes after which Dave released her again, then both sat together in silence for another few minutes, simply enjoying each others company.

"Oh and I'm sorry," said Dave suddenly.

"Oh!... Why?" asked Lily, looking at him curiously, wondering what he would say.

"For being such an idiot all of these years, for making this damn bet...and overall for not realising and treating you as the great friend you are," he answered, looking away, an ashamed look on his face.

"Oh, Dave,' said Lily, sighing softly, before she grabbed his hand, making Dave turn to face her again.

"As long as you realise it, then that's all that matters," she said, kindly, giving his hand a squeeze.

Dave for his part simply smiled at her again, then released her hand.

"Thanks he said once more, his former tears all gone and forgotten by now.

The couple sat together for a while longer before Lily suddenly looked up.

"Shouldn't you be taking care of your pokémon? she asked, which caused Dave to look at her.

"I mean...she was fairly injured...and from what I saw in some real pain," she continued to say, until she saw Dave's eyes go wide and him jump up.

"Right...of course...your right," he said hurriedly.

"I'll get that done right now," he added and began to run of, only to be stop suddenly a few meters away and turn around once more.

"Thanks" he said again, giving Lily a true smile. A smile he hadn't had in years.

Lily simply nodded and got up.

Turning around Dave started to run again when he suddenly heard Lily call after him.

"Dave!"

"Yes?" he asked, halting.

"Just so you know...it would never have worked out...between you and me...but...if it makes a difference...if I had to choose between the two of you it would have been you," she said, hoping not to hurt Dave's feelings too much, but deciding that she had to say it.

Dave looked down for a second but then nodded, not sure whether to be happy or sad about that revelation.

"Oh and Dave?" she said again.

"Yes," he answered.

"If it helps... Peter will never get me. He is much too arrogant and too much of a bully for that to ever happen," she added.

Now, this did make Dave smile and even grin, though he made sure to hide it from her.

"Thanks... It does help," he said.

"Friends? he asked suddenly.

Lily smiled brightly. "Of course, best friends... just like we always were and always will be," she answered before giving him another hug.

Returning the hug Dave finally lost the last of his sadness.

A few seconds later they parted and Dave hurried away to get his pokémon healed, leaving a smiling Lily behind.

A few minutes later she too was gone.

* * *

><p>Back in her ball, Destiny smiled. That was directly what Dave had needed, she thought, glad that Lily had helped Dave.<p>

Feeling a lot better now that Dave was happier after his talk with Lily, she turned off the TV.

Turning around she winced slightly as she suddenly looked in her side but shrugged it off. It wasn't as bad as before. Quickly willing a mirror into existence beside her she quickly look a closer look at herself. She cringed and winced even more at the numerous bruises which now covered her whole body. She really did look a mess. A small bug he might have been, but that caterpie really did a number on her, steel type or not. 'Those will take a while to heal,' she thought, studying a particular nasty large bruise on her left lower flank.

Thankfully, thanks to the ball (though she didn't now why at the time and only found out about the balls powers later), she wasn't able to feel the pain. It confused her, but she wasn't complaining. She really did not want to think about the pain she would, no doubt feel, once she left the ball again. Luckily she could evidently still heal while in the ball...so maybe it wouldn't be too bad when the time came.

'I wonder if I can imagine them away... at least while I'm in here,' she thought, wondering if she could manipulate her mental self while she was in the ball.

For the next minute she tried to imagine that her wounds didn't exist. That she wasn't really injured at all. Then, when that didn't work, she tried to visualise her wounds closing. It took a few seconds and a few failures, but finally her wounds slowly disappeared.

Sighing in relief she let herself drop on to the bed.

'Phew...much better,' she thought very thankful that she didn't feel the pain anymore. She was fairly sure, had she still been human she would have most likely been in the intensive care unit by now.

Sighing to herself Destiny decided to make a vow.

'The faster I learn to defend myself the better. I may not have actually been trained yet, but when I do train, I'll give it all I have. I will never allow myself to be humiliated again like I was today,' she vowed. With those thoughts she lay down onto her bed.

'Starting from tomorrow a new Destiny will be seen on this world. Believe it!,' she thought and with that she quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Dave quickly arrived at his house.<p>

From the time he had stopped talking to Lily to the time he arrived safely home he never once stopped to take a rest.

Unknown to most people who watch the pokémon anime back in Destiny's former world, nobody fully realised - although they probably guessed - just how fit most pokémon trainers are.

They had to be.

An average trainer, while on his or her journey, sometimes walks from anything from ten up to thirty kilometres, daily, every day, sometimes for weeks at a time. And that was just a usual day when they were training with their pokémon...and not running from angry swarms of beedrills or enraged flockes of fearows. When that happened, a usual day could easily become a mini triathlon, if your lucky... or more, if your not. Of course if that happened, most trainers took the next day off to recuperate from the stress of the past day.

It is also important to note that more often than not, most trainers also train alongside their pokémon. Very rarely did a good trainer watch their pokémon do all the work while they simply sat back and did nothing.

Very few trainers own cars. Even the older, more seasoned successful trainers, prefer to walk whenever possible and only the advanced, or the elite, have special pokémon which can teleport or fly them to their destinations.

It was therefore no surprise that Dave was hardly even winded when he arrived at this house, mere minutes later, after a full out sprint. Impressive, when you consider that from the school to his house it was after all a good two kilometers of none stop running.

* * *

><p>Amelia who had been working outside in the garden smiled when she saw Dave come running a good kilometer away. However that smile quickly dissapeared when Dave rushed up the driveway of their property, not taking even a second to stop to look at or greet her after she greeted him.<p>

Dave, too worried about his pokémon, was simply not in the mood to talk to his mother right at that moment, so he ignored her.

Frowning Amelia was about to call him back and scold him, when she saw the worry on his face.

Immediately realising, or at least guessing, what had happened, she sighed.

'Just one of 'those' days I guess,' she thought, stressing the word 'those' in her mind, as she followed him into the house and closed the door behind her son, which he had left open in his haste.

Walking straight to a certain special room of the house, a room which was kept for one purpose, and only one purpose: to care for injured or sick pokémon, she saw Dave cleaning and setting up the usual table, which was used to examine and treat his injured pokémon.

"So...what happened this time? Did you lose against Peter again," she asked, already knowing the answer. Or at least guessing she did.

It was always...and usually only Peter, who Dave lost against. Well, unless a visiting trainer from a different village came to town. But that was fairly rare since Breezecove, the little village they lived in, was away from the usual trainer journey routes and didn't have a pokémon gym. It didn't even have a pokémon centre for that matter, which was why trainers in the village always stocked up on potions and took care of their pokémon by themselves after a particularly brutal battle. In the rare cases that an injury was too large or they simply couldn't handle the injury or sickness themselves, a pokémon would be kept in their pokéballs until their trainer could get them to the nearest pokémon centre, which was in Viridian City...or to the Lab of the famous pokémon professor; Professor Oak in pallet town, if they so wished. Usually, unless their injuries were large enough, most trainers of Breezecove simply gave their pokémon one of the locally available healing berries or a basic potion and otherwise just let them take a temporary vacation from battling to heal their wounds by themselves.

Dave sighed as he heard his mothers question. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"No mom...not Peter. It was Kevin this time," he said, hardly looking up from what he was doing; setting up the table for Destiny.

Amelia's right eyebrow rose. 'Kevin... That's new,' she thought, surprised.

"Correct me if I'm wrong... but, wasn't Kevin this new trainer who only just started his journey a few weeks ago?" she asked.

Dave groaned. He really didn't need his mother to remind him of that fact.

"Yes mom, that Kevin...," he said sullenly. "I...I was really stupid...rash...an idiot," he added, finally looking up and giving his mother his full attention. "I used a pokémon that wasn't ready yet," he added bitterly. He was fairly angry about that, and really blamed himself for it too, something which Amelia immediately recognised.

Surprised, deciding it best to simply let Dave do the talking, Amelia said nothing and simply listened to her son rant and rave over his own failings.

'Well...at least he seems to have learned from it this time,' she thought, as she listened to Dave brutally give himself an indirect tongue lashing over his own mistake.

Amelia was not impressed over what had happened...or rather, she was not impressed over the reasons behind it, but she realised, that Dave really had learned his lesson from the battle and way he described his talk with Lily afterwards, so she decided to forgo a 'told you so' comment, a scolding or indeed a punishment for treating Lily the way he had, deciding to comfort him instead. Besides, it seemed Dave had already been punished enough already, in a different, indirect, but much more effective way. More would do no good at this point.

* * *

><p>Dave told his mother all about what had happened that day. From what he found out from his pokédex about Destiny and why he was so over-optimistic, arrogant even, thinking he couldn't possibly lose with his newest pokémon, right down to the bet against Peter and the following humiliating battle, leaving nothing out. All the while he was setting up the table and working on healing Destiny's injuries.<p>

Throughout the whole explanation Amelia simply listened, nodded, scolded when absolutely necessary and otherwise comforted her son wherever she could. She was very happy with the lesson Dave had learned and felt that the loss, while indeed humiliating, was probably the best thing that had happened to him for a long time and she was, quite frankly, of the belief that it was directly what he had needed.

She made a mental note to tell Peter's mother all about the bet at a later stage. She strongly felt that that boy also needed to learn the lesson, or at least a similar lesson as well.

For now though she would simply be there for her son.

* * *

><p>Destiny had only just managed to fall asleep when she suddenly woke up, in great pain, on a surgery table. Something, which she immediately wished, she had not.<p>

The bruises she had wished away while in her ball had promptly reappeared the moment she was ejected from her ball, complete with complimentary pain and all it's extras.

Now, waking up in pain from multiple bruises or injuries, is one thing.

Waking up to feeling an intense burn where your wounds are, as a disinfectant is used on them, after having just wished them away, is another thing again entirely.

But waking up to being prodded and examined, sometimes near certain questionable places, with a thermometer stuck up your rear end, with said disinfectant on your wounds, stinging you in places you didn't even know you had, was, without a doubt, not one of Destiny's favourite experiences.

Alas, it was however just one of a long list of things to get used to in her new animalistic pokémon life. Animals usually do not get questioned or told about what is to happen to them. Usually it's just done to them, whether they want it or not. And in the case that you did bite in retaliation...you were usually given a muzzle to add to your troubles.

Doing her best to ignore the thermometer stuck up her butt and clenching her teeth whenever a needle was pushed into her, or when a potion was used to close a certain wound, or to vanish a certain bruise, Destiny listened to Dave rant about the battle.

She too was very happy to hear that the humiliating experience, while painful for her, had been worthwhile after all in the long run. It had thought her trainer and herself several important lessons. One of them being humility - even if she was a dragon-steel type, she was no way invincible, even to a bug type pokémon - not to forget that it also ended a large part of a long lasting feud between two boys for a certain girl.

As Destiny lay in a bed, in the corner of the room, later that night - pokémon who are out of their balls, heal faster than when inside them - she couldn't help but think that; all in all it had been a fairly successful day. Even if she could have wholeheartedly done without the complimentary pain and humiliation.

'Oh well, you can't have everything your way.' With those thoughts she fell back asleep again and didn't wake up until the next morning...

COCKA-DOODLE-DO! ( Rise and shine humans, time to get up!)

COCKA-DE-DOODLE-DE-DO! (It's the start of a beautiful new day!)

Wizzzz... *SMASH*

COCKaDO (Missed me!)

"DAVID!"

"Oh Shit"

"YOU BROKE THE SHED WINDOW!"

"Sorry Mum...I..."

"Oh you will be sorry all right...wait till I get my hands on you!"

Cluck Cluck Cluck COCKA A DE COCKA DO! (Hahahahaha... revenge is sweet!)

...she was once again woken up by he friendly...and somewhat cocky, Breezecove rooster; Jeff.

* * *

><p>Destiny slowly got up and tested her currently healing body. Marveling at the fact that her numerous bruises and injuries where already nearly gone and she hardly noticed them anymore - poké potions can literally work wonders. Happy that she would be ok, she made her way, along the now familiar way, to the kitchen.<p>

Noticing her ball-mates already there as she entered, she helped herself to some of the pokéchow which had been left out for her.

Eating slowly, so as not to make too much of a mess, trying out a few of the different recipes, she quickly noticed that she liked the sweet chow more than any other chow type and vowed to never touch the spicy type every again. That stuff burned like fire and left the inside of her mouth red raw. At least it felt like it. For a second there she even swore she saw flames coming from her mouth, but wasn't sure if it was real or just an illusion. Some pokémon can after all spew fire. She wasn't yet sure if she was one of them though.

Luckily for her, once again, pokémon heal quickly, and after a few deep gulps of water, the spicy sensation had already been reduced to easily managable levels.

She had just finished her share when the door opened and an angry Amelia came in, followed shortly after by a clearly chastised Dave.

Charla and the others looked knowingly at each others but then shrugged and went back to eating. It was family business between mother and son and thus usually none of 'their' business.

Ayla who had already been sitting at the table, looked up and gave her brother a slight sympathetic knowing look, but otherwise didn't comment. Some things were best left unspoken.

Shortly afterward the family was sitting at the table, eating their breakfast. Seeing, that it was a Saturday, so no school for Ayla, she was taking her time without having to hurry.

Breakfast for once was a silent affair. Neither family member saying a word until after they were finished. It was at that moment that Amelia remembered something important which she had forgotten about due to the rough start of the day and had only just remembered.

"David."

"Yes mum," he answered, somewhat meekly, expecting to get another lecture.

"I got a message from Henry yesterday evening which I was going to tell you about this morning until I forgot about it due to what happened a few minutes ago," she said giving her son a glare. Dave looked down at this plate, finding it difficult to look at his mother at that moment.

"Now...I realise I said you are grounded for the next month...however...," she continued before pausing, not happy with what she was about to say.

"In light of the circumstances... since Susan isn't here to do it herself, Steven no doubt has better, more important things to do and Ayla does not have her own pokémon yet...," she paused again.

This time Dave did look up.

"And since she needs to go for her exam in Cerulean City... I have no choice but to shorten your punishment to one week instead," she said looking straight at Dave in a way that made him really nervous.

"However...do not think for a second that you will get away that easily. You will be paying for the window from your own money... and you will stay with her, all of the time, until she is back here again. That means no sight seeing and no gym battles. I want you straight back here once its over. Do you understand me?" She asked dangerously.

Dave could do nothing else but nod and say," Yes Ma'am," to which Amelia nodded and finally looked away. She did not have to say what would happen if Dave disobeyed her.

Ayla, who had been nervous herself, throughout breakfast, slowly let out a breath which she had been holding. Her mother could be really scary when she was in a bad mood.

Destiny who had been listening, not so far away to the conversation, also let out a breath of her own. She vowed never to get on the woman's bad side, if she could avoid it. Luckily, as an animal, pokémon or not, that was less likely to happen. One of the plus sides of being a pokémon. Since Pokémon, in general had no choice but to obey their masters commands (due to the pokeballs brain washing effects)... If a pokemon did something wrong - unless you could prove 100% that it wasn't your mistake, but really that of your pokémon - then it was usually the trainer who would be in trouble and would nearly always be responsible for their pokémon's actions.

In the end Destiny finished eating and left the kitchen to go back to the recovery room to recover.

Soon she was fast asleep once more. She slept right through the rest of the day, to recover from and heal her remaining injuries.

Next day, she knew would be a difficult day. Next day Dave had said he would start training her.

Seeing as he was now grounded and therefore unable to leave the family property, he would have plenty of time to do just that.

Unable to go out to see his friends... once he had finished all of the chores his mother would give him as part of his punishment for breaking the window with his alarm clock, Destiny just knew that the morrow would be a stressful and exhausting day indeed.


	7. Can't teach you anything!

**Chapter last edited on: **6/7/15

* * *

><p>First of all...For those of you who are impatient...Destiny will be meeting Ash soon...<p>

Secondly: Destiny is not godlike and will never be godlike. She'll be strong...VERY strong... however even then she can still be defeated.

Yes...her defense is unreal! Remember however... In pokémon there is no such thing as an ultimate type ...every type has a weakness somewhere...and even a giant can be taken down by a well planned trap...or a stone thrown to the head. :-)

Destiny's current steel type can be easily defeated by a well trained fighting type. Also note: While her defense is second to none... (She can even see things in slow motion) Destiny is actually unable to use offensive moves. (In other words she can not use any attack as her current type is unable to do so. In that regard she is even weaker than a Magikarp)

This will change later on, but for now she is 100% unable to use any **offensive** moves. At least not correctly. Keep in mind however...defensive or reflective type moves which reflect an attack back can still work.

Now...Let's get on with the story:

* * *

><p>Pokédex: (((This Author does not own Pokemon))))<p>

Pokéspeech: ::"Hello"::

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on Paradox:<strong>

In the end Destiny finished eating and left the kitchen to go back to the recovery room to recover.

Soon she was fast asleep once more. She slept right through the rest of the day, to recover from and heal her remaining injuries.

Next day, she knew would be a difficult day. Next day Dave had said he would start training her.

Seeing as he was now grounded and therefore unable to leave the family property, he would have plenty of time to do just that. Unable to go out to see his friends... once he had finished all of the chores his mother would give him as part of his punishment for breaking the window with his alarm clock. Destiny just knew that the morrow would be a stressful and exhausting day indeed.

**And now the continuation:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Can't teach you anything<strong>

* * *

><p>COCKADOODLE DO...<p>

COCKADOODLE DO...

COCKADOODLE DO...

The next day had finally come...and for once Jeff, the old rooster, did not have to worry about any sudden flying alarm clocks, whizzing towards him in the morning light.

Then again...that was probably because there currently was no alarm clock to throw, as Dave's was broken and currently out of his reach.

There was nothing that could possibly stop him today...

Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! (Shut up...I'm trying to sleep here)

Well... almost nothing.

* * *

><p>Destiny woke up with a small yawn. At first she simply lay where she was enjoying the morning quietness, but then she soon remembered that today was the day Dave had promised he would finally start training her.<p>

Carefully testing her limbs, she was very happy that her wounds had all fully healed over the night. Not even a single ache or pain remained. It was as if the battle had never happened.

Amazed at how quickly pokémon healed and seeing that she was now as fit as a fiddle...or at least as close to it as she could be at that moment, Destiny, excited and a little too eager to finally train, quickly rushed through her usual morning routine, completely ignoring the various forms of her 'poké-mates' who were lying peacefully in their own pokébeds or indeed out of random open shelves or cupboards around the house. A quick grooming session shortly afterwards, -she had quickly learned the necessary fine art of cleaning oneself with the tongue-, it was only then, after she had finished, that she suddenly realised that Dave was not ready yet.

You could practically see a tick mark appear over her face when she suddenly realised that he wasn't even out of bed yet. Realising that even the others were only just beginning to wake up, she sighed. Settling down she decided to be patient and wait. It was after all, a Sunday morning.

However, her patience didn't last for long.

It was around seven when Destiny had woken up. By eight she was already fed, groomed and ready to go. Realising her mistake at ten past eight, Destiny was willing to wait until nine for Dave to wake up. That nine, however, soon turned into a double digit ten. Finally, it was at a quarter past ten that her patience finally failed. Sunday morning or not, she refused to wait any longer.

Like a mon on a mission, she hovered up the stairs and began to search for Dave's room.

A few minutes later, anybody who was still asleep, was woken up by a loud yelp, originating from the only non-pokémon male of the house.

Destiny, having found Dave's room and finding her trainer still snoring peacefully, in the midst of a dream, removed the covering from his foot... found his toe...and...

...Well...I believe you already know the rest.

It was very easy to get Dave out of bed after that. In fact... it didn't just get him out of bed... it got everybody out of bed.

Shortly afterwards Dave could be seen, one foot firmly in his hand, hoping towards the showers. Where he then spent the next few minutes holding his abused toe under the cold water. Destiny may not have bitten hard enough to draw blood...but it still hurt like hell!

Dave's cry did, of course, bring the rest of the house up to his bedroom door. However, as soon as they found out what had happened, some laughed at Dave's newest predicament. Well, Ayla and some of the other pokémon did. They found it very funny. Amelia, however, was not so impressed and showed her ire with a quick stinging slap to Destiny's rump.

It hurt but Destiny didn't care. Destiny thought that the small, nearly playful slap on her rump, which she received for her miss-deed, was well worth it. The small pain was already fading quickly anyway.

* * *

><p>Shortly afterwards and a quite thorough examination later, much to her embarrassment, Destiny was soon given a clean bill of health. Hardly a surprise really.<p>

That was not, however, the end of her wait.

Because of the grounding, which her trainer had received, due to his morning misdeed the other day, Dave was given a list of chores to do around the house which he would have to complete before the end of the week...or risk his mother wrath. Annoyed, but knowing better than to annoy him, or anybody else for that matter, Destiny grudgingly left Dave alone and began to explore the rest of the house. Afterwards, she joined Dave and his other pokémon in the garden to watch them work.

Dave, at the time, was doing some weeding in the garden. The flower beds, all twelve of them had to be weeded by the end of the week. The interesting and surprising part from Destiny's perspective was that the others were helping him.

Once again, it is important to note that a pokémon, while indeed an animal, is not a 'normal' animal. Far from it.

Unlike normal animals, pokémon...or at least some of them, can, and in most cases will, gladly help their trainer, or trainers, with certain household chores.

The moment Dave saw her, he asked her to help him.

At first Destiny was not so so willing. After all, she had to do plenty of chores in her past life. As an animal, she now thought she would never have to do them again.

That soon changed however, when the others began to give her annoyed looks. It seemed they expected her to help. In the end she once again, grudgingly, decided to help out. Besides, she was bored... and she also realised, the longer it took for Dave to finish his chores, the longer she'd have to wait for him to train her. So it was actually in her best interest to help anyway. She therefore began to grab what she could with her small claws, and so, three hours of weeding later, the three designated garden beds they were working on for the day, were finally free of weeds.

* * *

><p>It was now around noon. Dave, finally finished with his chore, for that day at least, was finally free to train his pokémon.<p>

Dave knew, being grounded as he currently was, he couldn't leave the house to go to their normal training area in the near by park. With that in mind he chose to take his pokémon into the far end of the garden instead.

It was probably for the best anyway. Word of his humiliating battle and near defeat had already spread. Ayla, who had thankfully missed the battle, had already warned him that many trainers, who had at one time been afraid of him, were now openly making fun of him instead. Dave vowed that once he was free, he would regain his reputation. For now though he was actually quite happy that he could use his grounding as a good valid excuse not to visit any of his friends. At least for the next week.

Destiny and the others, eager to finally start, followed him to an open area in the garden. And so, just a few minutes later, Dave was looking at each of them, trying to decide what they would be working on for the next few hours.

"OK...let's see... Let's see what we should do today," he said as he scratched his chin with one hand, obviously in deep thought.

"Charla," he said, getting the fire lizards attention.

"Try to continue working on that flamethrower attack of yours. You know, the one we started to work on a week ago," he said looking at the charmeleon.

Charla nodded, clearly remembering the small, hardly noticeable, flame she had created a week ago.

"See that large rock, over there?" Dave asked, pointing towards a rock in the distance. Charla nodded again, showing that she did indeed see the rock Dave was pointing at.

"See if you can hit it from that tree over there," he said, pointing to a tree which was about 10 meters away from the rock. "Once you can hit it effectively, start moving away from it by, let's say, five meters each time," he ordered. Charla nodded and began to move over to the rock to begin her training.

Turning to face Sandy next, he looked at the sandshrew and nodded. "Sandy," he said. Said mouse looked at him showing that he heard him and had his full attention.

"I'd like you to work on your speed. You were a little slow in that last battle. That Rhydon was able to attack you way too quickly.

Sandy had a small pout on his face but nodded, showing that he understood. He could still clearly remember the bruise he had received for his slowness and didn't want it to happen again any time soon.

"Harpy...and Ringo...your going to help him and do some target practice at the same time. Both pokémon looked up at their names.

"Your going to try and hit Sandy with long ranged attacks only, while Sandy will try and dodge you," Dave said.

Hearing this Sandy gulped while Harpy and Ringo smirked. Target practice, when they weren't the targets, was always fun.

"Sandy... don't use dig," Dave ordered.

Sandy grimaced, this was not going to be easy. But it wouldn't be training if it was easy, he reminded himself.

Oh yes...this was going to be fun, the two designated attackers thought.

"Harpy...Ringo... Remember we don't have pokécenter in the village, so don't overdo it." Dave added, seeing their eager expressions. "

All three nodded and soon they left to train.

Turing to his fifth pokémon Dave simply shook his head. There wasn't really much Stinger could do in his current form.

"Stinger...I know you can't move or do much right now, except to harden maybe so... why not try to harden faster... Try to decrease the amount of time it takes to harden your body and try to make it harder too. Other than that you could practice you're string shot. Try to grab a few of the apples from the trees."

That said, Dave turned to face Destiny who he had left for last.

Destiny who had been listening as Dave gave the others some orders, quickly came to attention and watched him eagerly. Finally, at long last, it was her turn.

"Finally, last...but not definitely not least," Dave said turning to look at her and frowned. "Truthfully... at the moment, I have no idea where to start with you," he said after a second.

"There is no real kind or easy way to say this...so I'll just say it as it is... your...no...our... performance the last day...and that's actually giving it a nice word...was not up to standard," he continued saying, picking his words carefully.

Destiny nodded solemnly as she remembered the humiliation of her first battle and could only nod in agreement. It really had not been any good at all.

Dave sighed. "In fact I'd even go as far as saying that it was a complete 'H.U.B.A.R.' disaster, with a capital H," he said, looking right at Destiny as he spoke. "A complete humiliation-beyond-all-reality-disaster," he said, which caused Destiny to cringe.

"THAT!...," Dave said, nearly shouting out the that, which made Destiny jump in alarm, "...can not and will not be allowed to happen again," he continued, which caused Destiny to look away in shame. She knew he was right.

Dave also looked away. "Of course, a lot, if not most of the blame rests on my shoulders," he continued, quietly. Hearing this Destiny looked at him again, in slight shock.

"I, in my idiocy, should have known better than to make that bet."

"'I'" he said, stressing the 'I' and saying it loudly too, "should have thought for a second and actually planned for once."

"'I'" he said stressing the word 'I' again, louder than before, slight dislike in his voice, making Destiny take a step back. "Should have trained you 'first' and actually found out what you could do, 'before,' the battle took place," he said stressing the words 'first' and 'before'.

"Just as much as 'you' should have been awake at the start of the battle," he added, stressing the word 'you' while looking right at Destiny, staring right at her. Destiny found it quite difficult not to look away.

"Those mistakes will be rectified right now and will not be made again," he said in a way, which made Destiny somewhat nervous.

"RIGHT!...First! ...a little warm up. I want ten laps around the garden...Come! Follow me!" Dave said as he began to run.

For a second or two, Destiny stared at him, incredulously. 'What!...running!...Laps!' her mind screamed at her. 'But I don't like running,' she reminded herself. Looking at the garden Destiny realised, in horror that the garden was not actually a garden, but more like a field like extension of the backyard. The Stone family lived on a small farm. It must have been at least half a kilometre in size. That made this easily a five kilometer run, not a warm up. 'If this was a warm up, then what would the real thing be like?' she wondered.

"Come on, we haven't got all day, you were very eager this morning, now get to it," he called out, already several meters away.

"Well at least he's doing it too," she thought dismally. It took a few seconds but soon Destiny began to hover, reluctantly, by her trainers side.

* * *

><p>And so began Destiny's first ever training session with dear old Dave.<p>

She was a bit worried at first. In her past life Destiny had been what many people would have called a classic example of a couch potato. Exercise had not been a part of her everyday vocabulary. To be suddenly expected to run a ten lap, five kilometer 'warm-up,' around a garden was unthinkable for the former lazy girl.

She need not have worried though. As a human it may have been exhausting...now though...now, ten laps around the Stone's back garden, proved to be an easy feat.

Animals, pokémon or not, as a rule are usually always faster, more capable... very much in tune, with the old age task called exercise. More than humans will ever be. As a pokémon, she was therefore, very much surprised that it didn't stress her out much at all.

That soon changed, though - even if it wasn't for long - when Dave realised 'he' was having more of a workout than she was.

* * *

><p>'Hey this isn't so bad after all. I thought it would be much worse,' Destiny thought, not realising that it was only because she was now differently built, more in tune to the physical stresses of exercise, than she had been when she was still a human. This sort of exercise what now easy for her.<p>

Dave frowned as he suddenly realised, 'he' was working up a sweat, while his pokémon seemed to be hovered behind him at what seemed to be, for the pokémon; a leisurely pace.

He thought she would tire quickly. It was after all her first day and he wasn't exactly slow for a human.

Even if she was a pokémon and therefore automatically faster. He didn't think it would be that easy for her yet. 'Then again,' he reminded himself, 'Some are naturally good at running, or in this case hovering, than others.

'Looks like my newest pokémon, whatever dragon species she is, seems to be born for speed. She even seems to have no problems taking sharp turns, something which most fast pokémon usually have trouble with,' he thought, noting her advanced ability to take corners at a fast speed.

Usually the faster the pokémon, the more difficult it was for them to make a sharp turn...her snake like natural flexibility somehow seemed to negate that problem and made these turns very easy for her to maneuver. It was something which he thought would be very useful in the future and he was suddenly making plans of how to make good use of it in future battles.

Dave was still thinking of how he would use this new revelation to his advantage, when suddenly Destiny lost her concentration during the seventh lap and nearly smashed into the gardens back wall.

Dave gasped as he saw what had nearly happened. As the trainer, he, not the pokémon, would be responsible for any damages caused. Dave really had no intention of having to pay for, or indeed repair, a wall the next day because one of his pokémon smashed into it. He already had enough to worry about with the shed window as it was and did not need a garden wall added to the list.

"OK... STOP!..." he called out, annoyed at what had nearly happened. Coming to a complete stop, he turned around.

Destiny, completely taken by surprise by the sudden stop, and still shaken and recovering from her near accident, didn't react quickly enough. Startled, Dave had only just enough time to cry out and quickly jump head first out of the way, straight into a near by rose bush, before he was flattened and run over. Not a very pleasant experience to say the least.

Dave swore heavily and gave her an almost professional 'evil eye' look as he plucked himself out of the bush, trying to ignore the numerous scratches he now sported. He continued to stare at her for a few more seconds after that, before he finally looked away and sighed.

"Ok...this isn't working out the way I thought it would," Dave said. Destiny, for her part, looked away mareepishly. She really would have to stay more alert from now on.

"Since you seem to have been born for running...or in your case hovering...I want you to give me...one hundred laps around the garden instead...," he ordered, with a smirk.

Destiny blinked at first, but then shrugged. 'What! That's all? she thought. At least that's what she thought until she heard what Dave said next:

"As fast as you can."

Dave hoped that by increasing her speed, she would have to stay more alert. 'And it might even tire her out too. Which would be a bonus,' he thought a second later.

'Ok...maybe not as easy as I had hoped...but still, it can't be too bad...right?' she asked herself, unsure. seven laps had been easy... surely a hundred wouldn't be that much worse. 'Then again...going faster will probably be a lot more exhausting too, she reminded herself.

"Well,... What are you waiting for!... Get to it!" Dave said as he resumed his own run.

Destiny shrugged and started to hover after him. She quickly picked up speed. It took a lot more energy to maintain the speed, but it wasn't that much different.

Easily passing him by, once, then twice, then three times, getting faster each lap, Destiny was beginning to get the hang of it and even began to enjoy it too.

Dave could only stop and gape in amazement as she became faster and faster.

'It's as if she isn't tired at all. In fact she is actually getting faster,' he thought, amazed.

Then, suddenly there was a flash of light.

Dave only had a second to blink before Destiny suddenly became a blur, only barely visible to the naked eye. Unable to adapt to the sudden speed change, she promptly lost control and with a loud crash, smashed, head first, right into a near by tree.

The last thing Destiny knew was tremendous pain - worse than she had ever felt before -, a loud scream of horror - from Dave -, then a loud smashing sound, a smash which could be heard several kilometers away, before she finally lost consciousness and all went black.

* * *

><p>I didn't know it at the time, but at that moment I learned my first move: agility.<p>

Agility as you may well know, raises the speed of the pokémon who uses it by a factor of 2, sometimes even 3, or more, each time you use it. Having already been a very fast pokémon beforehand. In fact, way above that which was actually normal for pokémon in general, but just average for my particular species. Again something I didn't know at the time. The moment I used agility I became so fast that I left an afterimage behind me.

Problem was: going at such a high speed takes a lot of control. Control which I simply didn't have yet. Thus, in the end I lost control. Hence my accident.

When I came back to my senses several hours later, I had a splitting headache the size of Mount Everest back in my old world, and a large bandage all over my head. Not surprising really when you consider that I had crashed head first into a near by tree at a very fast speed. I guess, all in all, I should be thankful, I never got brain damage from the incident.

I later found out, that the tree I had crashed into... or rather flown through, had collapsed shortly after I had hit it. I still have no idea how I managed to do that, or indeed how I survived the experience. It must be a pokémon thing. Pokémon, in general, can take tremendous amounts of punishment and still keep going.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the tree, which landed right on top of the garden shed (and chicken roost), nor indeed, the Garden shed, which was now smashed and in great need of repair, much to Jeff's...and overall Dave's rather loud dismay and horror.

And so ended my first day of training.

* * *

><p>Training Day 2:<p>

It look a full day for me to recover from my sudden accidental kamikaze act. The garden shed, unfortunately, could not say the same, much to Dave's dismay and Amelia's most furious ire.

That shed held a lot of her chickens (not to forget the old rooster Jeff) and Amelia had not been impressed to say the least. Dave, as the trainer was responsible for any damages his pokémon did. As such he was the one, not the pokémon, who was punished for the misdeed. As if being grounded had not already been bad enough.

Luckily, miraculously, none of the chickens were harmed. It did take them a while to calm down though afterwards.

When I was finally able to train again the next day, Dave was understandably very nervous around me (and his mother for that matter who was still furious with him) and didn't let me do much. For the full day he treated me as if I was a fragile egg. That was probably a good thing when you think about it.

Believing it was best to stay on the safe side - at least for now - Dave had simply told me to 'take it easy' for the day. Dave himself took the day off. At least when he was not busy repairing the garden shed.

All in all a fairly boring day...

So ended training day number two.

* * *

><p>Training Day 3 (which was really day 2):<p>

Finally! Finally the day had come. Finally, after a two day delay, it was time for some real action. Amelia had finally cooled down enough for Dave to risk taking some time to train his pokémon again. After a full morning of repairing the garden shed - where we all helped him in our own ways - Dave allowed me to try a few 'simple' moves of my own. It wasn't much... a simple tackle and a scratch attack. Nothing major. But still... considering how I had messed it up the other day, it was probably for the best. Either way, I was finally allowed to try to hurt something. Even if it was only another tree.

This time Dave made sure to stay far away from the remains of the garden shed, or any other building for that matter.

Problem was...I still couldn't actually do it right.

Somehow, no matter what I tried, I always messed up.

According to the facts, a tackle attack is one of the most basic moves, nearly every pokémon can do. Only a few can't and usually those could use the scratch move instead.

For instance. From the way my body was built I should, by all rights, have been able to do both with little to no problems. I had the claws - even if they were tiny - for the scratch attack and an almost perfect body for the tackle attack. But for some strange reason I... just could not do it.

To do a tackle attack correctly one would have to ram at a target, in my case a tree, at a fast speed, using your own body weight to power the move. So far so good. The problem however is that you have to do it in such a way that you don't get 'impact damage' while still doing damage to your target. This was usually done by jumping at the target at the last second and using it as a type of spring board, right before you knock into it, thereby damaging your target, but hopefully not yourself.

At least that was the general idea, in theory at least. Actually Doing it, however, proved to be quite difficult.

I had the speed. I had the weight. I had the necessary power. I definitely had the body for it... It was after all a body of steel...

But somehow, I always...and I mean always, messed it up. No matter what I did. Sometimes in quite humiliating ways.

Did you think my overturning in the battle was a fluke? Well...guess again because it wasn't. It happened and it happened a lot.

First of all, hovering in general and hovering when attacking are completely different. When attacking you need a lot more control. Something which I simply didn't have.

My second attempt, at the tackle attack, consisted of literally half a dozen 'mundane' bird eggs falling from a nest of a second tree I had knocked into. Not only did I hurt myself by doing the move incorrectly, but the eggs then proceeded to land with several wet *splats* on top of my head.

The others couldn't stop laughing and teasing me about it for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>By the end of day five, Dave was getting frustrated. Really frustrated.<p>

Nothing he tried to teach me seemed to do any good. I didn't even show any signs of improving.

After a fairly painful morning, where Dave allowing the others to attack me, thereby hoping to force me to use a move instinctively, he then tried to teach me all of the basic offensive moves he thought, a mon like myself, should be able to handle; from tackle attack (the easiest) to Take Down (Which knocked me out for the rest of the 5th day).

None of them worked. The only things I gained for my efforts were frustrated yells from Dave...and pain, lot's of pain, more frustrated yells and even more pain. More pain...Oh...did I mention pain? Well... it's worth saying again. Pain!

On the 6th day, Dave, out of pure desperation, even tried to teach me a dragon type move: Dragon Rage.

He couldn't accuse me of not trying. I really did try. But once again it just wouldn't work. It seemed I was cursed to fail everything I did.

And so, by the end of the sixth day, Dave, his nerves frazzled, having already screamed at me twice that morning, was just about ready to throw in the towel.

* * *

><p>Dave seriously didn't know what to do anymore. Dragging his hands through his hair in frustration, even pulling at it, he barely noticed when Ayla, who had been watching Destiny's attempts, began to fiddle around with his pokédex.<p>

She was quite sympathetic to her brothers, and overall Destiny's plight. Having watched all of their disastrous attempts she really felt sorry for both of them.

Word of Dave's and Destiny's attempts had already spread throughout the village and Dave was quickly becoming a joke amongst the other trainers.

Just last day one had asked Ayla when her bother was finally going to set 'her' free. Truthfully Dave had already been considering doing just that. It probably would have even been kinder. However, he hated giving up. To give up now was like proving the others were right. He just couldn't, wouldn't accept that.

At least not yet.

As it was, both, Ayla and Dave were really looking forward to getting out of the village for a while. If only to get away from their ever increasingly stressed mother.

Ayla had asked her mother if they could go early, but Amelia had been adamant that she would not shorten Dave's punishment for any reason, barring nothing short of an emergency. She was really ticked of about the garden shed. She had even hinted that Dave would be continuing his punishment, when he returned later from their trip, much to Dave's increasing dismay.

He knew he was treading on very thin ice at the moment. Anymore and he feared his mother might actually snap.

* * *

><p>Ayla, who had been watching Dave's and Destiny's attempts at training for the past few days, was currently bored and checking out a few of Dave's pokémon by scanning them with the pokédex. It was now Destiny's turn.<p>

(((Pokémon Scanned)))

(((Updated Limited Information Available)))

(((Displaying information)))

**Pokémon Data:**

**Pokémon Name:** Unknown (More information required)

**Nick Name:** I Don't Know

**Pokémon Registration Number:** 1332ALPHA1985G364365DELTA08

**Original Trainer: **David (Dave) Tyronius Stone** Reg: **14573FOX345ECHO459005

**General Information:**

Insufficient data. (Uplink to main database required for information transfer)

**Evolutions:** Unknown

Current evolutionary level: Level 1

**Height:** 4' 13" (1.25m)

**Weight:** 110 lbs

**Species:** Dragon Hybrid

**Type(s):** Dragon, Steel

**Abilities:**

Primary: Levitation

Secondary: Unknown

Other abilities: Available (Unknown)

**Gender: **Female

**Primary Weakness:** Fighting types (Provisional)

**Moves Learned:**

Agility

(((This pokémon seems completely incapable of learning offensive moves. How intriguing!)))

* * *

><p>Ayla's giggled again as she read the name Dave had given her. Then her eyes went wide when she heard what the pokédex spoké.<p>

"WHAT!"

Dave who had been groaning after watching Destiny break a claw-nail on a near by rock, froze, and turned around to look at the machine.

"What did it just say?" he asked again, incredulously.

(((Realtime observations strongly suggest that this pokémon is incapable of effectively utilising offensive moves.)))

"But...but.. but..." he stuttered, unable to say anything else for a few seconds. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "How is that possible..." Dave asked, incredulously, as he walked up to where Ayla was holding his pokédex, doing his best to ignore Destiny who was currently holding her damaged claw gingerly in her other claw, like a woman would, in her hand, if she had just broken her fingernail.

"Every pokémon knows some sort of an offensive move," he added quietly, taking the pokédex from Ayla's hands.

(((Unknown, insufficient data available)))

"Hey...she knows agility," Dave suddenly cried out as he read through Destiny's available information. He hadn't read though it since that first time.

"When did that happen?" he asked, his eyes glued to Destiny's first learned move.

(((Unknown, insufficient information available)))

"Is there anything you can tell me," he asked.

The pokédex didn't answer.

Dave shrugged then said: "Oh well, it was worth a try." Then he turned to call out to Destiny.

"Hey Destiny,"

Destiny hearing Dave speak, looked up from her broken claw-nail, and turned to face him.

"Try agility!"

Aylas eyes widened as she heard Dave's command.

"Er Dave..." she started to say.

For a second Destiny didn't know what to do and looked at Dave strangely. 'Agility? What's that?'. But then she remembered that she had indeed heard of such a move before. It was not an offensive move but rather a status changer instead. But wasn't Agility a psychic move? 'That's strange...I'm not a Psychic pokémon,' she thought, but then shrugged, deciding to give it a go. After all what did she have to lose. Besides if she remembered correctly Pikachu also knew the move and wasn't psychic either. So why couldn't she do it too. Either it worked or it didn't. It's not like as a status changer could hurt her...right?

'Now let's see,' she thought. 'According to what I have read I have to add some of my internal power to my leg muscles just before I use them... in my case I will have to add some more power to whatever it is I do when I hover,' she thought and got ready to attempt the new move. A move which she somehow already knew...but didn't.

Ayla flinched as she saw Destiny get ready to do the move. Once again she tried to speak up.

"Em...Dave...I really don't think that's a good idea," she said, hurriedly, while taking a few steps back.

Dave looked at her, confused.

"Why...agility is not an offensive move. It couldn't possibly...,"

***CRASH***

Dave cringed. "Oh bugger."

...

...

...

"That's why," said Ayla looking down, miserably, face palming, just as a very, very loud angry scream came from the house.

"DAVID!"

Both siblings looked at each other in horror.

"Oh shit!"

* * *

><p>Night had come and Dave was currently crying. He was currently in his room, quietly looking through a few files on his computer, hardly stopping, or caring about the tears which were falling down his face.<p>

His mother, who had finally snapped, had been absolutely furious and had made her increasing ire known in a very harsh way.

He and Destiny had been 'grounded' by the angry mother. In Destiny's case...permanently. Destiny had been confined to her ball - which had then been confiscated by Amelia. Her ball would remain with Amelia until they left for their 'final' journey, at which point she had ordered Dave to take the ball with him and give it to Professor Oak in Pallet town, on their way to Cerulean City.

Amelia had called the two of them menaces to society and had forbidden Dave, much to his horror, from ever training her again. Realising what was happening Ayla had desperately asked if she could have her instead. But Amelia had been very adamant that the pokémon had to go. Ayla had then proceeded to beg, then whine, which had earned her a very painful smack across the face for her troubles, from a very angry mother. That had stunned and shut her up. Ayla had then retreated to her room where she had not emerged from since.

Finally Amelia had even gone as far as to threaten to remove Dave's trainer licence - as was her right as the guardian/parent of an underage trainer, until the trainer was 18 - if something like that every happened again. An ultimate punishment for any trainer.

As it was, Destiny would not be let out until they had left he village. Something which Destiny was secretly very happy about. She too was very distraught about what had happened. But she could understand Amelia, even if she wasn't very happy with her decision to give her away. In the end it was probably for the best. Maybe the famed professor could help her where Dave had failed. At the very least she would be close...or at least closer to Ash, her 'real' trainer. So all in all, while she was very sorry for Dave, this could actually be directly what she had been looking for all along.

Finally, Dave had been confined to his room. He was only let out to do his chores and for quick bathroom breaks, until they left for Cerulean City for Ayla's trainers license exam, which every new trainer had to pass before they could officially be recognised as an official trainer.

Dave took his punishment without much complaint, - to do so would only have made things worse anyway - which was why he was currently, teary eyed, filling out Destiny's transfer forms on his personal PC.

* * *

><p>He was halfway through the second last form when suddenly a red light began to flash on his pokénav.<p>

"Hello, what have we here," he murmured, as he checked the display.

**Incoming call! - Susan**

**Would you like to accept the call?**

**Yes / No ?**

Dave's eyes widened slightly as he saw who was trying to call him. It was his older sister, Susan.

Quickly pressing the accept call button, not enough time to fix, nor indeed caring how he currently looked like, he watched as Susan's face appeared on the pokénavs main screen.

"Hi Sis," he said half heartedly, as soon as the connection was fully established.

"Hello Dave...Dave?... What's wrong?" she asked, immediately realising that her brothers eyes were red from crying.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it. Personal problems," Dave replied, waving her of.

"Hmm...you don't look fine to me Dave? she said, worried.

"I'm fine," Dave replied, waving away the question again, which made Susan frown at him.

"If you say so," she answered, dubiously, but let the matter drop. If Dave wanted to tell her, he would.

"So...What's up? Where are you?" Dave asked after a short hesitating pause, where both siblings simply looked at each other, one in worry, the other through tearful eyes.

"Oh... I'm currently in Johto and I thought, hey, why not give my little bother a ring. So, here I am," she answered, before pausing. "Look, if this is a bad time, I can call again later," she added a few seconds later.

"Johto, wow...I've always wanted to visit Johto. What's it like?" Dave asked, ignoring Susan's question.

"Dave, I'm serious" Susan said loudly, getting frustrated with her brother.

"As am I," Dave responded, also getting louder.

Susan glared at him for a second but then shrugged. "Fine, be that way... Johto's great, lots of new interesting pokémon here... the countryside is nice, especially the sea. I spent last week fishing near Cianwood City, won the storm badge from Chuck and caught myself a Lanturn, a water electric type... you know the usual stuff. So, all in all, I'm having a great time. What about you...and the others?" she asked, interested in what had been happening back home.

"Me...well...same old... winning and losing battles...usually losing, he added with a grimace. Other than that helping Mum with the garden work...that sort of thing. Oh, and I got... had... a new pokémon too," he answered back, immediately crying fresh tears after finishing the sentence.

"Had...what do you mean had?" Susan asked. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Oh my...that's why you're crying...something bad happened to it. Oh I'm so sorry Dave," Susan said, suddenly really distraught herself. Nobody wanted anything to happen to their pokémon.

"Yeah...you could say that," said Dave, sadly.

"Dave... are you sure you don't want to talk about it" Susan asked, her worry increasing by the second. Her brother looked awful. Whatever had happened must have been extreme.

"No...everything fine," Dave answered again, giving her the same answer as before.

"Hmm..." Susan said. It was clear she didn't believe him.

"Is mum around?" she asked suddenly.

Dave cringed. He really didn't want to go near her right now. Not right now.

Susan noticed the cringe and looked at him sharply for a second. What was her brother keeping from her?

'Red eyes, crying, doesn't want to talk about 'it', whatever it was... it must have been huge.

'Dave...come on you can tell me, what happened?" she tried asking him again sympathetically, which caused Dave to groan pitifully. Why couldn't she just leave him alone, he wondered.

"Come on Dave, tell me, I can't help you unless you tell me," She tried again, trying to coax him to tell her.

Dave rolled his eyes but relented. Sighing he took a second to compose himself. 'Well, might as well tell her. It's not like she will not find out anyway,' he thought and turned back to look at Susan.

"Fine... I missed the rooster with my alarm clock and broke the garden shed window," he started to say, ignoring Susan who's eyes widened at what he had just told her.

"Then my new pokémon knocked over a tree, which just so happened to land on the same garden shed...," he continued. Hearing this Susan choked, her mouth gaping in astonishment.

"Finally the same pokémon, crashed into and broke the garden fence and a small bit of the house, after messing up a move. That was today," he said, blushing.

For a few seconds Susan could do nothing but stare incredulously at her brother. Was this a joke? she wondered. But no...Dave was serious... he wasn't joking, she realised.

'Holy crap,' she thought. She could hardly believe what he was telling her...yet...

"Your serious... you... broke the garden shed...and a part of the house," she said, shocked, her hand going to her mouth in shocked awe.

Dave nodded. "Well technically it was my pokémon, but yeah... the tree smashed the shed to pieces...and the house needs a new wall," he explained sullenly, looking away in annoyance.

It took Susan a few minutes to compose herself but finally she managed.

"Oh Dave... I'm sorry. Mom must have been steaming with rage," she said sympathetically. "No wonder she finally snapped," she added. Dave nodded, before suddenly more tears began to fall as he remembered what has happened next. "Oh yes, she was...very very...'very' angry," he replied nodding and stressing the last very, between sudden fresh sobs as he remembered what had happened.

"Yeah I can see that," Susan said, nodding sympathetically.

"Anyway...What's this I hear about a new pokémon. What do you mean had? Is she ok?" Susan asked, finally changing the topic, fearing the worst. If the house had been damaged, then she could only fear for the Pokemon.

"Oh she's fine...well mostly... My new pokémon and I have been having a few problems. For some reason when I try to teach her something she always...and I mean always, messes it up," he said sadly, wiping away a few tears and doing his best to compose himself for what he had to do next. "I simply can't understand it," he added morosely.

Susan's right eyebrow raised at the news. "Hmm...Have you asked Steven for help? She asked. "I'm sure he could help."

Dave shook his head, showing that he had not. " Nah, you know he's too busy with league duties right now, being what he is... I couldn't reach him," he answered.

"Ok...Maybe I can help. What is she? What's her name?" Susan asked doing her best to be and stay serious before frowning. "You still haven't explained the had part yet."

"I'm getting to that," said Dave with a sigh. "I have no idea what she is... unfortunately I can't show her to you since mom confiscated her pokéball," he said downcast. "However, maybe... wait a sec, here, let me send you a picture of her," he said, pausing as he pressed a few buttons on his pokédex, sending the picture to her pokénav.

Susan nodded and waited expectantly as she waited for the download to complete. Quickly she opened the new picture.

"Oh my goodness," she said a few seconds later. "Dave...I...I have no idea what that is...this is incredible...I've never seen or heard of this pokémon. It looks a like a dragon...kind of like a Dratini, but different... Dave...where did you find her?" she asked her brother, looking up from the picture, a serious business like look on her face.

"I found her egg, in the woods near to the house. It was strange. I was walking near by when I suddenly noticed a flash of light. Suddenly it was just there, in he middle of the road... as if it was waiting for me," he said, thinking back to that fateful day.

Susan's eyes widened. "Dave... eggs don't just appear out of thin air," she started to say, cautiously.

Dave nodded. "I know, I know. But that's what happened. And I couldn't just leave it there. I mean, it was in the middle of the road...and it was after all a pokémon egg. How often do you find a pokémon egg," he said, defending his actions.

Susan raised her hand. "I know...and I don't blame you. On the contrary I would have done directly the same thing. But you have to admit it is strange," Susan said with a far away look on her face.

"Do you know what type it is? There are after all over 646 different types of discovered pokémon and many more which haven't been found yet. Have you tried finding her in the National dex?" she asked.

"Dave shook his head. "No I didn't. I only have the Kanto dex and that didn't have anything...It's a steel-dragon type though...maybe you can find it," Dave said, looking at her. "Not that it matters anymore," he mumbled quietly to himself in a way that Susan couldn't hear him.

"A dragon-steel type! That's rare...that's very rare... hmm let me have a look," Said Susan as she took out her own pokédex. A few second later she looked up, a disappointed look on her face.

"Nope, sorry, not in mine either," she said after a few seconds. "Then again, I only have the Johto addons... its probably in the World-Dex," she said finally.

"Oh well, I guess it was worth a try," Dave said disappointed himself.

"Hey you never told me her name," Susan suddenly said. "And you still havn't told me about the had part," she said annoyed. Dave groaned. "You just had to remember that, didn't you," he mumbled inaudibly.

"What was that? I didn't catch what you said," Susan replied.

Dave sighed. "I don't know," Dave said awkwardly, looking out of the window as he said it.

"Huh...what do you... Oh, I see, You haven't named her yet. That's ok, many trainers don't name their pokémon. No need to be embarrassed about that," she answered, mistaking Dave's awkwardness for embarrassment.

"Yeah!...," Dave answered mareepishly, doing his best to hide his blush, not bothering to correct his sister.

"So...what happened. The 'had' part please?...Now!" Susan demanded. She would not allow Dave to avoid the question any further.

Dave sighed and nodded. Fine! "I said 'had,' because she isn't mine anymore. Or at least she won't be soon," Dave responded. It was really difficult for him to talk about this. Already he could feel new tears on the way.

"I told you about what happened with the garden shed, the house...and with the fence, right?" he asked.

Susan nodded. She was beginning to understand what must have happened and was feeling really sympathetic towards Dave now. More than ever.

"Well, the garden fence and house was the last straw which broke the Camerupt's back...or in this case mothers frazzled nerves," Dave continued dismally.

He paused, for a few seconds, talking a few deep breaths, before breaking out into new sobs.

"She said I have to give her away," he practically bawled. "I'm not allowed to have her anymore," he said though his tears.

Susan, seeing that her brother was becoming hysterical cringed and decided to end the call there. She really felt sorry for her brother. No trainer should be forced to give away their pokémon... It just wasn't right.

"Listen...can I talk to mum?" she asked which caused Dave to nearly freak out. He really did not want to go near her right now. Not while she was still in a bad mood.

'On second thoughts...don't bother..." she quickly added, seeing Dave's panicky look. "Just tell her I rang but that I didn't have much time."

Dave nodded thankfully.

"Tell her that I'm on my way back home," she said.

Dave looked up at that, his eyes widening slightly. "When?" he asked.

"After what I just heard, you lot need me at home...I'm going to ride Flarewing, I should be home in two days," she answered, seriously.

Dave did not like hearing that. If she came that soon his mother wouldn't let him go with Ayla. He'd be stuck at home, grounded for who knows when. He really needed to get out of the house...and the village for a while.

"I see...its just, well...Ayla and I are going... supposed to be going to Cerulean City tomorrow, for her trainers exam and we won't be home for at least a week, maybe two," he started to say, hesitantly. "I really want to...no I need to get out of here," he begged.

Susan hesitated, but then shrugged as she realised what he meant. "All right. No problem. I'll meet you in Cerulean city and we can walk back home together once your finished," she said, trying to calm her brother down.

"You sure," Dave asked, brightening up, if only a little. "That would be great. Thanks sis," he said thankfully. 'It will get me out of mums hair for a while, give her time to calm down, and I'll also get to see Susan,' he thought.

"I wouldn't have said it otherwise," Susan answered, happy that she was helping her distraught brother.

"That's great...you're the best sis... I owe you one," Dave answered. 'Phew, saved,' he thought, wiping a drop of nervous sweat of his face.

"No problem... I'll see you soon...Oh and make sure you have that pokémon of yours with you. I have got to see her before you give her away," she said, giving him a look which strongly suggested he'd regret it if he didn't.

"Don't worry, I don't think I could leave her here even if I wanted to. Mom want's her out as soon as possible," Dave said, shivering slightly at the thought. I don't know,' he thought to himself. 'I'm so going to miss you.' Once again fresh tears began to fall.

Seeing Dave was starting to cry again, Susan decided to finally end the call. "OK...I think that's it. We better stop now before you turn into more of a cry baby than you already are," she said, trying to make a small joke, but failing.

She sighed. "Listen...see you soon and stay out of trouble, she said, giving him a sympathetic smile.

Dave shivered slightly at the mere thought to getting into more trouble with his mother right now. However he managed to give her a small weak smile in return. "I'll try...and thanks," he answered and gave his sister a small wave.

A second later the connection terminated Susan was gone.

Dave sighed.

Finished with the call, Dave quickly finished the last forms and with another few tears rolling down his face he sent them away, sealing Destiny's fate. That done he shut down his computer and got ready for bed.

"Tomorrow we'll get out of here and then we shall see," he said to himself quietly as he got into bed.

Then he cried himself to sleep.


	8. Farewell, Rocket Style

**Chapter last edited on: **15/October/2013

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was partially beta'd by: Zlepper<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on Paradox:<strong>

Dave sighed.

Finished with the call, Dave quickly finished the last forms and with another few tears rolling down his face he sent them away, sealing Destiny's fate. That done he shut down his computer and got ready for bed.

"Tomorrow we'll get out of here and then we shall see," he said to himself quietly as he got into bed.

Then he cried himself to sleep.

**And now the continuation:**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: Farewell, Rocket Style.<p>

* * *

><p>The day of Dave's, Ayla's and above all; Destiny's departure had finally arrived.<p>

Dave, knowing that in a few short hours he'd be out of his mothers hair and - what was more important (in his opinion) - away from her punishing hands, eagerly got out of bed to get ready for the day. For once he was up at the crack of dawn along with the crowing of the old rooster.

Dave's sudden good mood however did not last for long. It fell pretty quickly. Almost as soon as he remembered that it, in turn, also meant that 'I don't know', his newest Pokémon - he now knew he never would have the honour of giving her a better name - wouldn't be with him for much longer either.

Sighing sadly, now far less enthusiastic, he finished his daily morning duties at a far lesser level of eagerness than before.

Breakfast that morning was a nervous, uncomfortable, high tension affair. Both siblings were downcast, hardly speaking to each other and only answered when they were spoken to directly by their mother. Said mother was busy taking care of some last minute journey preparations and setting the rules for the journey.

"Now David, remember I want you to head straight back here as soon as Ayla is finished with her exam," Amelia said in a stern, no-nonsense tone.

"Yes mum," Dave answered, quietly, hardly looking at her as he spoke.

"You are not to go sightseeing while your away,"

"Yes mum."

"You will give your Pokémon to Professor Oak as soon as you arrive in Pallet town."

"Yes... mum," Dave mumbled, hardly audible and much more subdued at that last order.

"What was that? I didn't hear you!," Amelia said sternly, looking sternly at her son.

"Yes mum!" Dave said, this time much louder than before. Amelia nodded satisfied and turned to face her daughter.

"Ayla dear. Good luck in your exam," Amelia said, this time in far kinder voice. "I'm sorry about last night, I confess I let my anger get the better of myself a bit. Having said that... young ladies like yourself do not beg, nor do they whine, she said kindly, with a small touch of sternness in her voice.

Ayla looked up. For a second she thought about trying to ask her mother if she could have Destiny again, but stopped herself. It hadn't worked last night, why would it suddenly work now.

Sighing to herself, she finally settled on a quiet "Yes mother," of her own.

That said the family went back to quietly eating their breakfasts, none really looking at the other. Nobody felt like saying anything else for the rest of the meal. It was, in short, quite depressing.

Unknown to her children, Amelia was actually very sorry about forcing Dave to give away his newest Pokémon. She could see how attached her son had become to the mysterious black and white dragon in such a short amount of time. Normally she would never have ordered her children to do such a thing, however in this case she fully believed that it really was for the best.

From what she saw during the past week, Dave simply could not handle the creature. And while that by itself would not normally have been a bad thing; learning from ones mistakes and figuring out how to solve difficult problems was, after all, usually a good thing per se..., she could not however ignore the fact that it was hurting Dave's social relationships with his friends and the damages which were caused by the two certainly were not something she could simply ignore with a simple scolding, a loss of pocket money and a quick shake of her head. It was simply happening too often to be ignored.

In just one week the troublesome twosome had somehow managed to severely damage the garden shed. Not just the garden shed, but also a small part of the back of the main part of the house. In fact the shed was now so badly damaged that it would have to be completely demolished and rebuilt. As if that hadn't been enough, the hens still hadn't recovered from their near encounter with an early afterlife, when the tree had smashed into the shed. Not only did they now need a new place to live, but they were now so traumatised that they had stopped laying ever since.

No! All things considered Amelia was sure... It really was for the best. That Pokémon had to go. For the greater good of the whole family, her own and the hens stress levels and overall sanity not to mention her dwindling bank account - due to the repairs she was now forced to do,... Their family may be well off, due to the family business and multiple trainers winnings...not to mention Stevens annual earnings from the league... but there were limits to what she would...or indeed could allow. It just had to go. With that in mind she steeled her heart as best she could and ignored her children's desperate pleas, tears and begs.

And so, just one hour later, Dave and Ayla were all packed and ready to go. Only one thing remained.

Seeing that her children were ready, Amelia went up to her own room and retrieved Destiny's Pokéball from her bedside safe, which she then handed back to Dave who eagerly took the ball from his mothers hands.

After giving Dave the Pokéball back, Amelia then proceeded to quickly give her daughter a quick hug before she led her two children to the front door of the house. She tried giving Dave a hug too, but stopped when he moved away from her. Sighing to herself, but choosing not to say anything, thinking it best to simply let him be, she smiled at him sadly, then waved them off.

"Good luck and stay safe, both of you," she called out as she watched her two children walk down the side path. Only Ayla waved back.

Sighing sadly she watched as they turned the corner and disappeared from her sight.

"Stay safe both of you," she whispered, a small tear falling down her cheek, before turning around and heading back into the now empty house.

Sometimes being a mother just wasn't easy.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later Dave and Ayla could be seen walking along the outskirts of the village. Both were very eager to get into the surrounding countryside and as far away from the village as quickly as possible. Walking down the villages main street quite a few people had walked up to them, usually to greet them and wish Ayla good luck in her exam. However, unfortunately, not all of them were friendly. While most had simply come to say good-bye and to wish Ayla good luck in her exam, some had actually stopped them with the sole intention of making fun of Dave.<p>

This shocked Dave. He couldn't believe it. Who knew being better than the rest - or at least the best in your village - could cause so much jealousy...and in some cases even hate, among his peers. Especially from those who had lost to him in the past. Some trainers, to his dismay, were actually happy that he had lost and even happier that, for once, 'he' was the one having difficulties for a change, and not them.

Had his loss against Kevin really done that much damage to his reputation? he pondered to himself. Where his rivals now actively making fun of him out on the streets?

Had he really become that much of a joke in just one week? he wondered, dismayed.

It seemed he had.

OK...if he was honest with himself then Dave realised he had indeed been humiliated. Yes, he knew he had panicked. Yes, he had indeed made a complete fool of himself. But seriously! Was one single battle really enough to completely ruin all of his hard earned reputation that much? he asked himself as he reeled from the jeers he had just heard coming from the mouth of a younger trainer a few minutes ago. It seemed it was... more than enough to do just that.

Shaking his head while walking down the road Dave knew that he should simply ignore these people. Most of those who had stopped him to make fun of him were nothing less than immature idiots, nothing more... perhaps less. Petty immature morons and bad losers who still had to grow up. That's what they were. That, however, was way easier said than done. Ayla, to make matters even worse, was shaking and nearly in tears after hearing some of the things which had been said to him.

'Have I really made so many rivals...so many 'enemies' in the past few years?, he wondered as he eagerly walked away from the village.

For the first time in years his eyes were wide open. Suddenly he realised; he was not 'the king' anymore...

Now he was just one of the 'normal' people instead.

Dave knew, oh yes, he knew; he had not always been kind or even fair to those he had defeated. On the contrary. Sometimes, he had been very arrogant in his past few battles, thinking himself to be better than the rest. And while he had not openly made fun of those he had defeated, unlike Peter who had been actively bullying and was still bullying those he defeated - which was usually everybody, but those few stronger visiting trainers who were strong enough - it had sometimes been a close call.

Indeed, only now, only after experiencing a humiliating defeat himself, did he fully realise what the others most have felt and that the others had only kept quiet - that they had never spoken back- simply because they had been too afraid of him to do so.

That fear... was now gone.

It shocked Dave to the bone and made him feel sad just thinking about it. With wide open eyes he realised that he did indeed deserve the abuse he was now receiving. Maybe not all of it, mind you, but definitely some of it.

All in all he was very glad to get away from the village for a while. And while it was not really out of sight out of mind, he hoped what with him gone, it would give people time to cool down a bit.

Once he got back from the trip he promised to himself he would be a better and kinder person. Maybe once he was back he would help others get better, instead of always looking down at them all the time.

Yes, that's what he would do, he vowed to himself. Starting from that very moment, he swore, he would never look down on another rookie trainer ever again. His days of looking down on other people, thinking he was better than them... were now over.

* * *

><p>Both siblings were continuing their walk down the road, away from the village, when suddenly both children suddenly heard a voice in he distance calling out to them to wait. It was still too far away to make out who it was, but it was steadily coming closer by the second.<p>

"Oh no! Not again. I'm, really not in the mood to talk to anybody else right now. Especially not someone who just wants to make fun of me,' thought Dave dismally, quickening his pace as he heard the voice.

"Dave, wait up!" came the voice again. This time it was much closer that before. Dave closed his eyes with a long loud sigh. Preparing himself for another round of verbal abuse which he was sure was about to come, he motioned to Ayla to stop walking.

'Might as well get this over with,' he thought and turned around to face whomever it was who was calling out to them to stop. For a second he wondered if he could get away with 'sic-ing' one of his Pokémon on whoever it was, but immediately discarded the idea. It just wasn't worth the hassle. Besides...he didn't want to risk an official visit from an officer Jenny...or worse; the G-men. A visit from a G-Man would only lead to his license getting revoked, a hefty fine and most likely another round of his mothers hand on his backside. No...definitely not something he wanted to happen.

In the distance he could now make out the shape of somebody running.

Waiting grudgingly but patiently for the person, whoever it was, to arrive, Dave was surprised when he finally could make out who it actually was.

"Lils?" He said loudly, surprised. His scowl instantly replaced itself with a look of cautious joy. Just as well that he had not, in fact, 'sic-ed' his Pokémon out after who ever it was that was coming. That would have been... embarrassingly problematic... to say the least.

Now a lot more eager to speak to the arriving person, Dave began to walk towards her. Ayla chose to stay behind where she was, so to give the couple some privacy.

Lily was gasping and out of breath when she finally caught up to him.

Dave waited patiently for her to regain her breath before greeting her.

"Hi Lils. I didn't expect to see you today," he said as a form of greeting.

Lily, now able to speak, nodded. "Thank goodness I still caught you. Didn't think I'd catch up with you anymore for a while there," she said in between breaths, surprising Dave.

"I wanted to wish Ayla good luck and give you something," she continued as best she could in between a few more gasps of air .

"Oh!...What is it?" asked Dave looking at her expectantly.

"Here... it's my own application form. I have decided to also become a trainer. I'm going to take the next trainers exam in a few months time with the main lot... and since your going to Curelean city, I thought you could deliver it for me, personally," she started to say.

"Now, I realise I could have sent it per e-mail but...I'd prefer if you took it. If I pass the next exams I can start the journey with everybody else from Pallet town when the professor gives out the next batch of starters. It would mean a lot to me if you did it for me," she answered happily.

Dave was very surprised. "Really!... Your becoming a trainer?... I... I mean... That's great. Really! I'm happy for you. It's just I thought you didn't want to be one...a trainer...you know. You always said you didn't want to be one," he said, wondering what had changed her mind.

Lily smiled. "Yes, I know. But I changed my mind," she said coyly. She didn't continue explaining.

"So! Will you do it for me?" she asked sweetly.

"What? ...er...sure! Yes I will gladly do it for you," Dave said, slightly dazed, after a few seconds, absentmindedly taking a small envelope from her... He needed his brain to reboot after what he had just heard. Lily had never shown any interest in ever wanting to become a trainer. In fact she had always made it very clear that while she liked watching battles and other trainers train, she disliked the idea of becoming a trainer herself. Well...she used to. What had changed her mind?

"Thanks Dave," Lily said and before Dave even knew what was happening, she gave him a little kiss of thanks on his cheek.

Dave froze and for a second he nearly fainted.

'Lily is kissing me,' his brain tried to tell him, feebly, almost shutting down.

'Lily, is actually kissing me,' he thought again.

Suddenly his mind caught up with his brain.

'But... but...I lost the battle...I lost the bet... I am...was... an arrogant bully...I'm not supposed to be together with Lily anymore. I don't deserve a girl like her," he reminded himself, the thought breaking the daze.

Lily giggled at first when Dave froze, but then frowned as his expression changed from one of shocked, dazed happiness to one of worry, even fear. She could tell from simply looking at him that something was bothering him.

"Dave, what's wrong?" she asked worried.

"Lily...," Dave said, using her real name and not Lils, as he usually called her. "I...I'm sorry... It's just, I'm not supposed to be near you anymore," he said, hesitantly.

Hearing his words made her angry, really angry.

"Why? Is this because of that stupid bet you and that other idiot made? I thought you were over that," she asked sternly, taking an aggressive step closer.

Dave swallowed nervously, took a small step back in response and nodded hesitantly.

"Dave...let me say this in a way even a small minded, dense idiot like you can surely understand," Lily said and in the next second, before he even knew what happened, Dave heard a small crack and felt a sting across his face.

"Ow," Dave said, holding his reddening cheek gingerly in his hand. 'OK, I think I may have deserved that,' he thought to himself as he rubbed his cheek.

*SMACK!*

Absentmindedly he felt a second sting in his other cheek and his head turning the other way.

'Hmm...I'm not sure I deserved that one though,' he thought to himself a second later.

"David Tyronius Stone," Lily said angrily, using his full name, making him cringe. She only used his full name when she was really pissed off with him.

"I do not care about the bet you and that...idiot Peter made," she said, refraining with difficulty from using any unladylike curse words to describe the other boy. "I will not let a stupid bet, made by two equally immature imbeciles decide who I or you can be friends with," she said sternly looking at him with angry eyes.

Dave gulped. An angry girl, especially if it was Lily, was never a good thing for a boy, or any boy for that matter.

...A boy like him.

"I chose to stay your friend, even after how the two of you treated me and all the others all those years. I still choose to remain your friend. The sooner you get that into your little pea sized head and the sooner you forget about that silly bet of yours, the better off you will be. Do I make myself clear... mister! Because, quite frankly, if I ever hear about 'it' again, that slap you just received will be the least of your worry's. If I hear about that bet again, I promise you you'll be hurting in a much more sensitive and delicate, place," she continued, angrily, getting louder again by the second, before quieting down again near the end, finishing in a dangerous tone of voice.

All the while Dave was shaking, sweating and shrinking in upon himself, afraid of the angry girl in front of him.

"Yes...ma'am... I understand fully. I will never mention the bet again," he said hastily, eyes wide, moving away from the girl, his hands up in a placating manner.

Lily, however was not done yet. "As for that other fool Peter. If he complains, just remind him of that kick in the nuts I gave him the other day. That should shut him up. If he doesn't, then tell me and I'll give him another," she said, glaring at Dave.

Hearing this Dave cringed and subconsciously clenched his legs together. Peter may have been his arch rival and he really hated the guy, but no boy - at least none in his opinion - deserved 'that' to happen to them.

"Er...is he ok?" he asked almost automatically. He simply had to know.

Lily smiled. It was a satisfied, evil smile which usually meant something bad for somebody else. Dave flinched.

"Oh, the last thing I heard he was currently grounded after his mother found out about the bet. I heard a rumour that someone heard a lot of yelling coming from the window of the top room of the house. I'm not sure if its true though..." Lily said trailing of at the end, a grin on her face.

Dave cringed at first, feeling sympathetic towards the other boy, even if he was his arch rival, as he remembered his own punishments of the past week, but then a small smile formed over his lips.

He couldn't help it, hearing that Peter had also been punished made him happy. Maybe it wasn't nice of him to feel happy about someone else's misfortune, but at that moment he simply didn't care. If anybody deserved to be taken a peg or two down then it was Peter...and - he realised to his shame - to a somewhat lesser extent, himself.

Maybe now they could finally move on and forget about this whole issue. He for one would do his best to do just that.

"Your right Lils...I swear to you...on my honour as a trainer... I will not bring this issue up again and above all I will from now on try to be the best person, not just trainer, but person that I can be," he said looking straight into Lily's eyes, a serious look on his face.

Hearing this, Lily's anger disappeared instantly to be replaced by a genuine large smile. She could see he was serious about what he has just said. "Great! That's all I can ask for," she said happily, giving Dave her brightest smile possible.

"Anyway...I'd better go...and so should you," said Lily a moment later, as she gave him a quick hug, then took a few steps back.

Dave, much happier now than he had been a few minutes ago - even if his cheeks were now red and stinging - returned the hug and nodded. "Yeah, I think we should. We need to be in Cerelean city by the end of the week, so we'd better get going," Dave answered.

That said Lily, gave a quick wave to Ayla who had been patiently waiting not that far away, which Ayla returned and after saying a quick bye to Dave and shouting a quick 'good luck' to Ayla, she turned around and began to walk back towards the village.

Dave smiled as he watched her for a bit, but then he turned around and walked back to his sister.

"Well, that looked... interesting," Ayla said, as her brother joined up with her again.

"Hmm," Dave responded, half of his mind still on Lily.

'One second, she was kissing you, then she was slapping you, then she looked like she was about to kick you in... well...you know where, before she's hugging you. Looks like you had an interesting discussion. Care to tell me about it?" she asked, looking at her brother with interest.

Dave looked at his sister and smiled. "Ah... it's... She gave me her application form for the trainers exam, forgave me about the bet and told me about what happened to Peter for the past week," Dave answered happily a small grin on his face.

"Oh...I see. That's nice," Ayla said. "So, she finally decided to give it a go herself...Good for her. Some of us were placing bet's on when she would finally do it," Ayla said, as they started to walk again. She had a smirk on her face as she said that.

"Bets?" asked Dave, interested.

"Yes. Some of us girls had a betting pool on whether she would become a trainer herself, and if yes when. It's been going on for a few years now. The pot was at Fifty thousand Poké dollars."

"Fifty thousand!" Dave exclaimed loudly, his eyes widening in alarm. "That's a lot of money," he added, surprised.

Ayla nodded, "Yup...that it was...that it was," she agreed with a smile.

"So who won it? Anybody I know? he asked.

"Yes," Ayla said her smile changing into a smirk.

Dave's eyes widened as he saw her smirk. 'No way...could that mean...,' he wondered.

"Wait a second. Don't tell me... You won it?" he asked.

Ayla shook her head. "No, unfortunately I didn't. I couldn't. As one of the people who was in charge of handling the money I was forced to stay neutral and was therefore not allowed to place any bets myself,' she responded.

"I see... Oh well. Can't win everything," Dave said with a shrug.

"Indeed, I guess you'd know best about that, wouldn't you," Ayla said, looking at her brother, a slight glint in her eyes.

"So, who got the money?" Dave asked a few seconds later, ignoring her taunt at the end for what it was; a taunt.

Ayla was about to answer, but then she hesitated, her eyes suddenly widened slightly as if she suddenly realised a sudden problem.

"Who is it? Come on. Tell me," Dave asked, his interest rising by the second. "Why are you suddenly so mysterious about this? It is somebody I know, isn't it?" he asked, not realising his sisters sudden uneasiness.

Ayla still didn't answer him. She looked troubled now.

"OK...now you really have me interested," Dave asked now really interested. Why was his sister suddenly being so mysterious about this. It was only the winner of a betting pool...right?

Ayla sighed.

"Fine, I'll tell you... just please...please don't tell anybody else. It is very important that you don't tell anybody else," she said, trying not to beg, after a few more seconds, even though she was fairly sure he wouldn't.

Dave looked at her confused. "Why shouldn't I tell anybody?" he asked her with a frown. What was his sister up to, he wondered.

"It was Lily, only she did it under a false name and disguised herself as a different girl," said Ayla, nervously, wondering how her brother would react. This had the potential to get her into serious trouble.

"What?" Dave asked, not fully understanding what Ayla was saying.

'Lily did ...what?'...but she can't...can she? But...that would mean that...

'No way!'

Suddenly his eyes opened wide and his mouth fell open in astonishment.

Blinking, shaking his head, Dave could only gape. With a small quick stunned disbelieving laugh he shook his head.

"I must have misheard you...for a second I thought I heard you say that Lily won the bet?" he asked.

"Yes," Ayla responded.

"I...I don't understand...she can't have...won the bet I mean...the bet was about herself. I mean...she wouldn't have been allowed to bet on herself. Could she?" he asked, confused.

"But she did," Ayla said sweetly with a smile, now enjoying herself.

"And!... She wasn't stopped from betting on herself?" Dave asked surprised, not believing what he was hearing.

"Nope." Ayla said, her smile widening even more.

"Why the hell not?" Dave asked perplexed. Why would they allow Lily to bet on herself? It didn't make any sense.

"Because I was the one who was in charge of the books that day. I was the one who took in the money when she placed the bet," Ayla said.

"Huh," Dave asked, his mouth open, not understanding at the slightest where this was going. Then his eyes widened in disbelief.

"NO WAY"...you didn't" he said loudly.

"I did...I allowed her to place the bet, under the false name of course. When people asked who she was I told everybody that she was a distant cousin of mine who was visiting at the time... for half the prize money of course," Ayla said, then she began to skip away.

"What!...You did...what!...You... You two planned this? You and Lily planned all this?" Dave asked in stunned horror. His eyes wide open and nearly popping out of his head.

"Yes... for the past three years. We simply waited for the pool to get large enough. Now seemed like the best time to finish it," She said slyly, not a bit of remorse in her voice. "I mean, the professor will be giving out the new starters soon after the next exam.. I hear the professors own grandson will be starting his own journey then too...and if all goes well both of us, Lily and myself, can start the journey together. Contrary to what she always said Lily always wanted to become a trainer. Now she also has enough money for it too," Ayla said and simply kept on skipping.

'I don't believe this... My sister...my sweet little sister... is a swindler,' Dave thought, shocked, his mouth open, hardly able to believe what he had just heard. 'A successful one at that,' he added mentally, feeling a small sliver of grudging respect towards his sister. It took Dave a minute or two to recover from the shock, but after a few minutes he shrugged and followed his skipping sister, quickly catching up to her, this time a small smirk on his face.

"Sis...You do realise that I could simply tell the others about this...right?" he asked, wondering if he could perhaps blackmail his sister and get some of the money from her, in exchange for his silence of course.

"Yes...I know," Ayla said, smiling, not at all worried about what Dave was thinking.

Dave blinked.

"But you won't will you," she said sweetly with a smirk.

Dave smiled.

"Because if you did, you'd also get Lily into trouble too," she continued "And you wouldn't want that now...would you?" You don't want her...and me...to go to prison...do you? Ayla asked giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

Dave lost his smile and frowned as he heard her say that. She was right. He wouldn't... he couldn't...Ayla was his sister...he couldn't do that to her...and Lily was...well...Lily.

Damn!

"Can I still have some of the prize money?" he asked, defeated.

"I'll think about it," Ayla responded sweetly.

Dave sighed but nodded. It was the best he could hope for.

'It's always the sweet and the quiet ones,' he thought shaking his head.

That thought both siblings continued their walk towards Cerulean city... and towards the start of a new adventure.

* * *

><p>It was now several hours since Dave and Ayla had left the village. Dave's good mood had started to gradually deteriorated as the day progressed. He was visually getting moodier by the minute. So much so that Ayla got more and more worried for her brother. She knew that it wasn't that he didn't enjoy the walk, or that he was becoming tired. Dave was way too fit to be tired so early in the day. No, she knew Dave's mood was declining because he knew every step he took was one step closer to him having to let his Pokémon go.<p>

After another few kilometers, where Dave got even moodier, Ayla finally had enough. "Dave...this has gone on long enough. It can't go on like this," she said resolutely.

Dave looked at her and sighed. He knew directly what she was talking about. It wasn't really hard to guess what it could be. "I know...I know, but I just can't help it. Every step I take takes me one step closer to Pallet Town. And you know what that means," he said sullenly.

Ayla nodded. "I know. I feel the same way. But still...even so, we can't continue like this. It can't be good for you. I know you don't want to hear it... but...as much as I hate to say it...you need to accept that it's happening...you need to get over it. I can see that you're hurting...and that in turn hurts me too," she answered sympathetically.

Dave nodded. He knew she was right. The decision had been made for him and it was final. There was nothing he could do about it. He was only hurting himself and Ayla now.

"I ...I think its best to stop soon for the night, he said a few tears threatening to, once again, come to his eyes. "I need some time to think about this. Hopefully things will look better in the morning," he said after a few more seconds and Ayla nodded.

"Your right... Hopefully by tomorrow, after a good nights rest, things won't be so bad," Ayla said. At least until they reached Pallet town...but that was still several weeks away, since they were going to Cerulean first.

"Besides...I'm tired anyway," Ayla lied. She wasn't tired. Not really. But it gave Dave another, better reason to stop.

Dave nodded. "OK... If I remember correctly there used to be a nice clearing with a stream beside it near by. We could camp there if you like," Dave said, remembering a nearby clearing where he had camped before when he had first started his own journey over a year ago.

Ayla nodded. "That would be great!"

The couple walked for another few kilometers before Dave pointed towards a small clearing.

"There it is... We can stop here. This is a good place to camp for the night. There are a few berry trees and a stream for water near by. The stream also has fish for us to catch if we want to. Let's camp here and get a fresh start tomorrow," he said pointing towards a small clearing a few yards away from them.

"Yes. This is fine," Ayla nodded, happy with the place Dave had picked out for them.

The duo then walked over to the clearing and began to set up their makeshift tent. They only had one large tent for the two of them, but that was ok.

While it was not common for travelers to be attacked by wild animals, Pokémon or not, it did still happen from time to time. Pokémon, or other animals usually didn't care what age or gender you were when they attacked, they were however less inclined to attack larger numbers.

It was for this reason why most trainers kept a night watch up and running when in the wild, and always preferred to travel in groups, rather than alone, whenever they could. Some even slept in the same tents. It was simple common sense.

Since Ayla and Dave were siblings they didn't care too much about only having the one tent between the two of them. As it was, only the strongest of trainers could safely travel alone, without any worries, but even they usually preferred staying in a Pokémon centre, rather than out in the wild. It was also for this very reason why all Pokémon centers were free for all traveling trainers.

Trainers, in general, worked for the government. They did so by simply keeping the many wild Pokémon under control. It was a necessity for every country in the Pokémon world. It also didn't hurt that trainers and their Pokémon were a major source of income and entertainment. So the governments really didn't mind.

Overall the only safe places where trainers could travel freely, with little to no worries, were those near trainer starting points... places like Professor Oaks laboratory in Kanto, or Professor Elms Laboratory in the Johto region. It was there and only there that greenhorn trainers got their starter Pokémon and only there that they usually started their official Pokémon journeys.

Considered 'tame' in comparison to other much wilder and much more dangerous places, it was for that very reason why those places had been chosen by the professors as starting points and the building sites for their laboratories.

Of course... having said that... that did not however mean that certain newbie trainers didn't have problems. Far from it. Considered by most as the final test; it was also a place where those too immature...or too stupid to become trainers, could be disqualified, quietly, in a relatively safe environment, far from the unforgiving eyes of the paparazzi.

For instance; Kanto's newest trainers were constantly attacked by the resident Fearows and Beedrils, which inhabited the forests around Pallet Town, the starting point for Kanto trainers.

Trainers who's Pokémon didn't survive the so called 'safe zones' were usually considered 'not worthy'...or 'not mature enough' to be trainers in the first place and couldn't reapply to become trainers until they were at least 18. Even then they had to do a special test to show that they were indeed now ready to take care of a Pokémon.

Interestingly; there have been some rumors of Pokémon that could actually sense an unworthy trainer and who had actually refused to obey their trainers, even with the pokéballs controlling powers. Such instances, however, were quite rare...and usually only happened when the pokémon was either out of it's ball for too long...or the trainer used a faulty pokéball.

In even rarer cases the trainer has even been said to have been totally ignored by their pokémon. This usually meant that the Pokémon themselves considered you the lowest of the low which was in short; the largest 'slap in the face' any new trainer could ever receive. Very few of these 'Poké-slapped' trainers...if any at all...ever went on to become successful trainers. As it was trainers who didn't pass the 'Safe zones' usually dropped out and stopped being trainers shortly afterwards.

Of course, neither the trainers, nor indeed the pokéball manufacturers ever admitted to such an instance...so obviously nothing was ever done about what had always been known as simply...a rumour.

* * *

><p>Back with Dave an Ayla, it took a while but soon the tents were up. Dave then went out to look for some firewood and if he could find some; a few berry's. Human types and Pokémon types alike, from a near by wood. Ayla, for her part, began to collect some water from the nearby stream and set up the fireplace.<p>

Dave soon returned and after placing the berries he had found in a protective case - a case which every trainer had for the many different types of berries found in the wild - he went down to the stream to fish.

Meanwhile, Ayla, who was looking after their belongings, prepared some Pokémon food for their Pokémon. That done she let them all out of their pokéballs, so that they could eat. Dave returned an hour later with two freshly caught fish which he quickly prepared and then roasted over the fire.

Neither were really any good at cooking, though Dave could at least do it and survive if he had to, all thanks to the survival courses he had taken throughout the past two years. Hopefully by tomorrow they'd reach Viridian City where they would then stay in the Pokémon centre. After that they would see. If the worst happened, they would simply live of the berry's and the wildlife.

As the two siblings were eating Ayla made a mental note to apply for and take some more of the survival courses which were widely offered by the Pokémon league. While only the first two were mandatory as part of the requirements of becoming a trainer -as they taught you the essential basics of how to care for yourself in the wild- it was always a good idea to attend a few more, if you could afford them. Since she now had more and enough money to do just that, due to her and Lilys scam, she would definitely take a few more. Best of all she would not have to ask her mother to pay for it for her.

Many trainers continued to take them, even after passing their trainers exams. They really did prepare you for the harshness of the wild and in some cases really improved your comfort and chances of survival too. Some of the advanced courses even taught you how to successfully cook several types of meals as well as how to make your own Pokéfood for your Pokémon, all tailored specially to their special needs. Other courses taught you better ways to groom and take care of your Pokémon, while others again gave you a better understanding of how to take part in battles or contests.

Finally, for those who were really persistent, trainers could also apply for and attend special advanced schools for serious trainers. There they would actually prepare you for the league itself. Those courses were very intensive, very demanding and often very stressful, but if you passed the course - you needed 80% minimum to pass - you didn't have to go and collect the league badges to attempt the Pokémon leagues. (Something which was very nice since badges are only valid for one year. Trainers had to constantly re-challenge all of the gyms each new year to be allowed to compete in the next league. Doing the course exempt you from having to re-challenge the gyms again and again)

Furthermore...to make things even more difficult, or rather more awkward, each region had its own exam. So, to be allowed to enter a regions league, you had to pass each regions exam. Since each region had different Pokémon, this usually meant attending the full course again, only this time for that region.

So all in all, it was no real surprise why most trainers chose to battle the gym leaders instead. (especially since each regions exam had to be retaken every 5 years) Besides, Ayla was of the strong belief that nothing could beat real life experience.

While those who passed really did know their facts, it was however, usually, the trainer with the real life experience who won the important battles in the end. Those who did both; attend the schools and battled the gyms usually became feared, respected and famous.

For instance; a famous trainer who had attended such a school, but who had still gone on to battle the gyms to gain real experience was actually the current Kanto champion, Lance. So, all in all, it was proven to work and it really was a very serious and successful business.

* * *

><p>That night, after a modest meal, the two siblings sat down around the campfire and had a thorough discussion about what had happened in the past two weeks. It wasn't easy to accept but in the end Dave realised and finally accepted that his mothers decision, while harsh, might indeed have been for the best. It may not have made him feel any better, but at least he now understood and was able to accept the reason why he had to give 'I don't know' away.<p>

Maybe if he was lucky, Professor Oak would keep her back for him, for when he turned of age. Then, once he was 18 (or a champion) he'd come back for her. If not, then he hoped he would at least someday see the Pokémon again, at some point...even if it was only on the other side of the battle field under another trainers command.

He wasn't really looking forward to that encounter, but that's just the way it would be. It was simply too soon or him to have such a difficult to train pokémon. He understood that now. Hopefully the other trainer, whoever it would be, would take good care of her and at least let him talk to her and spend some time with her, after the battle.

Dave doubted that any trainer would be actually be willing to trade her when the time came, no matter what he offered for her in return. He has sure he wouldn't have as he had a feeling this was a once in a lifetime Pokémon - which only made what he had to do that much more difficult. So, in the end that would just have to do. In the end if all else failed, he'd at least still have and treasure the fond memories of her.

With those thoughts the two siblings called it a night and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, in the middle of the night, the two sibling were soundly sleeping in their tent, dreaming of adventures still to come. Harpy was currently, high up, in a tree on guard duty. The idea was she would make a loud noise, loud enough to wake the others up and then distract the intruder, if an intruder were to come along.<p>

Destiny, for her part, was thinking back over the last few days, about what had happened in her brief second life so far. She may not have liked what had happened, least of all how it had happened...but, she did realise, because of what had happened...and the way it had happened, that she now had an opportunity to move on to the next phase of her overall pre-determined destiny, set by the god of Pokémon himself.

Ever since she had joined Dave's team of merry little Pokémon, she had been wondering how she would meet up with Ash. The happenings of the past few days seemed like prearranged divine fate, arranged by Arceus himself, to help her along.

The bet with Peter...the humiliating duel...the training afterwards... all of these events, while humiliating and painful...had led her right to this moment. She was finally on her way to Pallet town; home of the chosen one...and ultimately her real trainer.

However, even so, while it did get her away from Dave and while it did get her right into the home town of the 'chosen one'..., it did not, however, solve the problem of how to actually get herself onto the team of the said chosen one.

The more she thought about it the more she was suddenly faced with more problems than he currently wanted, or indeed needed.

Up to this point her fate had been pretty much set in stone: Train with, battle for and travel the world with Dave, until she would hopefully, one day, meet up with Ash.

Now however, she was about to become trainer-less. That, in turn, meant, in every aspect of the word, that she was entering the unknown. Destiny had no idea how to handle this unknown. She had no guarantee that she would even meet, let's not even talk about join up with Ash.

All it would take is to be captured by, or given to another random trainer and then she'd be further from her goal than ever before. For all she knew she could be given to, or caught by, another trainer entirely and might therefore not even meet Ash at all.

If it wasn't for her promise to Arceus, that she would join up with him and aid him in the upcoming trials and battles, she would have been happy to simply go wherever fate lead her. However, that was not the case. She had accepted the mission and made the promise and thus she now had an obligation to do whatever she could to see it though, for better or worse. That meant she had to somehow find Ash. The question just remained ...how?

She knew it was a gamble, but she hoped that, once she arrived at pallet town, she could somehow meet up with Ash, if he was still there. If he was then maybe she could meet him and join up with him. She wouldn't even have to battle him. It wasn't after all the first time a pokémon had joined Ash's team by their own free will. Well, at least not in the anime. For all she knew she could be many years in Ash's future...or many years before his time. That would really complicate matters for her and in that case she had no idea what she would do.

If he had yet to start his journey then maybe she could somehow convince Oak to let her go with him...even if it meant taking pikachu's place as his starter, as unlikely as that may be. It was a frightening thought...but if she had to it that way, then she would do it. For the greater good, she would do it.

Well... she'd take care of that problem when the time came. For now she'd take a good nights sleep. There wasn't much she could do now anyway. Once she arrived in Pallet town she'd worry about what to do next.

With those thoughts she settled down, curled up, near to the fireplace and drifted of into a fitful sleep. An uneasy sleep filled with nightmares and visions.

Unknown to her the dice of Fate and Destiny had begun to role. Fate had just placed a bet with Destiny, a bet which Fate did not want to lose as it would change everything, more than either Destiny could ever have imagined.

* * *

><p><em>Destiny suddenly awoke and found herself alone in a different place. She could not remember getting there. Startled, she took a quick look around. Everything was hazy and unclear, yet she could still clearly make out her immediate surroundings. It was as if she was surrounded by a think fog. <em>_She didn't know where she was. It looked like she was in some sort of clearing. But not the clearing she had gone to sleep in._

_Currently she was not able to move or indeed interact with the world around her. She could only watch and observe. However, for some reason, a reason which she couldn't comprehend, that did not seem to worry her._

_Before she had any time to wonder why that was, she suddenly saw two people entering the area she was in. Worried that they would see her and mistake her for a wild Pokémon and attack her, she tried to move and get away, but again nothing happened. _

_In the end it didn't matter. For some strange reason, the two people did not seem to be able to see her._

_Confused and surprised, she watched the two newcomers and suddenly realised that they were dressed up in frighteningly familiar clothes... clothes which had big red R's on them._

_Now, she 'was' worried, really worried. However, once again she realised she just couldn't move to get away. It was as if she was being compelled to watch._

_Then suddenly something unexpected happened: the two rockets moved right through her._

_Shocked, Destiny who had expected to be seen and caught at any moment, mentally gasped. This was not what she had expected._

_Realising with a pang that she was either a ghost...or not really there to begin with...she stopped struggling to get away._

_As the rockets moved away Destiny, or whatever she currently was, seemed to automatically float after them. She had no control over it. 'So...is this some sort of dream...or vison?' she wondered._

_Seeing that she was a powerless observer, she simply sat back, mentally, and observed._

_Suddenly the two rockets began to talk._

_"So Paul, are you looking forward to getting back to HQ?" one of the rockets asked._

_"Yeah sure...since our last mission was so successful it will be quite nice to be back home for a change. I was getting quite sick of stealing Pokémon from all those weak trainers. The boss will no doubt be quite happy with our latest catch. Maybe if we're lucky the boss will let us boss around those two idiots again," the second rocket said with a laugh._

_"Still picking on those two? What will you have them do this time?" the first rocket asked._

_"Ha...I think I'll have them attack Viridian and have them steal all of those useless low class Pokémon from the Pokémon centre. It won't matter much if they fail, but when they fail... which I fully expect them to do, it will be so much fun to see them get chewed out by the boss again...like they always do," the second rocket said laughing._

_The first rocket shook her head... "What did poor J & J ever do you?" she asked amused._

_"Them? Nothing! But that's the whole point. I just enjoy watching those idiots fail again and again. It amuses me. Besides... as long as they fail they can't get promoted and take our admin positions away from us," the second rocket said, a smirk on his face. "As the saying goes...keep you friends close..."_

_"...And your enemies even closer," The other rocket finished for her partner, while shaking her head again. "One of these days even they will be successful and when they do they will remember how you treated them," the first rocket said, shaking her head at the behaviour of her fellow admin._

_"Them! ...Successful! HA!...Don't make me laugh! Actually please do...I could always use another laugh. Seriously though...that will be the day pigs lean to fly or a Pokémon that can't fight somehow manages to win the league. In other words, never," said the rocket admin just as they began to move and fade away._

_Destiny was left alone for a few minutes, wondering about what she had just heard, when suddenly everything around Destiny began to warp and change before normal sleep claimed her once again._

_Several hours into the morning later her peaceful sleep was disrupted for a second time only this time there was no sound and the vision did not move. It was more like a picture than a vision._

_Suddenly she found herself in the country-side near a road. Once again everything was hazy and foggy, just like in the vision. However this time looking around Destiny noticed a red and blue windmill near by. She tried to turn to see more but quickly found that she, once again, couldn't move, only look._

_Waiting for a few seconds she was suddenly surrounded by a flash of bright white light before she suddenly reappeared in another vision. This time she seemed to be in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by fields and a lot of trees. Only a single road could be seen traversing though the scene._

_Another flash of light later, she suddenly saw her trainer, his sister and a Pokémon which looked just like her very own double, frozen on the same road before she was enveloped by another white flash._

_This time it took a few seconds before a new scene appeared but then she was suddenly bombarded, in quick succession, by multiple different visions. Most of them were pictures of fairly normal and common landscapes or items. Sometimes just pictures of scenery and buildings...sometimes even people. But once in a while she saw a few pictures which interested her: like an oddly shaped large rock which looked like a eagle head, or a small house with a star shaped pond beside it. Other than that there wasn't really anything that interested her._

_Destiny was beginning to wonder what the purpose of her being here, in his dream world was. She was wondering why she was seeing all this. There had to be a purpose, or a reason why she was having a dream of herself and her current trainers out in the middle of the countryside, and of all of these other items. However she just couldn't see what it could be. She was getting even more bored when, after a larger flash of white light, she suddenly reappeared at what looked like a crossroads. Started by the brighter than usual flash she automatically took a look around. Seeing a sign she saw that it pointed towards the left road and read Viridian City, 20 kilometers._

_Shrugging, Destiny continued to observe the countryside around her. What felt like directly two minutes later, Destiny was suddenly enveloped by another flash of bright white light before she was utterly shocked of her boredom by the next picture._

_Destiny only had a few second to mentally scream out in horror before the dream vision started to fade. The last thing Destiny saw was two familiar people...the same rockets as before, laughing. Ayla was on the ground, with a large wound ...her other self, seemingly unconscious, was being sucked into a pokéball by one of the rockets...and her trainer was literally on fire before everything went black._

* * *

><p>Back in the real world the whole camp was suddenly woken by a piercingly loud cry.<p>

Sandy, who had relieved Harpy of watch duty an hour ago, nearly had a heart attack when he was forcefully woken up by the loud screech and fell of a branch he had been snoozing on.

Recovering nearly instantly from his fall with hardly a cry, he jumped back up the same tree and quickly looked around wildly for any near by intruders, all the while doing his best to distinguish between the pandemonium of sounds from the others waking up and those of a would-be-attacker. Not seeing and hearing anything to be worried about, he relaxed slightly. It was only then that he spotted the real source of the cry he had heard, at which point he sighed in relief.

Rolling his eyes slightly as he realised what must have happened, he jumped down the tree and padded over to where Destiny lay. She was shivered, eyes wide open from the after effects of her vision.

::You OK::? he asked Destiny, just as the others and one of the two trainers joined them.

Ayla, now wide awake, and who had scrambled out of her tent at the screech, was slowly calming down and was looking worriedly at Destiny. Ayla, much more in tune with others around her, could easily see that Destiny was wide-eyed, shaking and in obvious distress and was trying to figure out why Dave was nowhere to be seen and was somehow still snoring, fast asleep in the tent.

Destiny who had at this point realised what had happened blushed deeply.

::Yes...I'm fine. Just a bad dream. Sorry for waking you all up:: she said, looking down as she noticed all of the worried and curious stares of the others. 'I hope...' she thought to herself a few seconds later, as she suddenly realised that, unlike a normal nightmare, where the dreamer quickly forgets what had happened in the dream, she could somehow still clearly remember everything what she had seen.

Hearing this most of the others nodded and went back to whatever they were doing...which for most was sleeping. It was after all still the middle of the night.

Ayla and Charla stayed behind to make sure everything was really 'OK' before they too went back to sleep several minutes later.

Once again alone, Destiny tried to go back to sleep herself, but try as she might, she just couldn't. Her mind was constantly tormenting her and showing her that last scene. Ayla had been on the ground a large wound all over her body. Dave...NO...she didn't want to even think about it. It was just too awful. Thank heavens it had only been a dream. It didn't happen. It was not real. It would never happen, she told herself. However try as she might she just could not get that last vision out of her mind.

In the end Destiny simply gave up and decided to relieve Sandy who was back up in his tree - this time wide away - from guard duty. If she was going to stay awake then she might as well make herself useful, she thought to herself. Maybe doing something useful would keep her mind off the terrible vision.

As expected, Sandy was very happy to switch with her and did so with little complaint. He only stayed behind long enough to explain what she had to do if an intruder, i.e. a wild 'dangerous' Pokémon, or dangerous mundane animal arrived - screech like she had before - before he settled down around the fire to go to sleep himself. Destiny spent the rest of the night, at least when she was not thinking about and analysing what she had seen, staring at numerous objects in the dark, jumping at every sound she heard, or simply counting the millions of stars in the night sky.

* * *

><p>Morning came and with it the start of a brand new day.<p>

Dave, oblivious to what had happened in the night had - to nobody else's surprise - some problems waking up and getting out of his sleeping bag. He had always been a fairly heavy sleeper and never a morning person. Even when Ayla tried to wake him up, he simply rolled over onto his other side and continued sleeping. That quickly changed however when Ayla threatened to 'sic' Destiny on to his toes if he didn't get up.

It look a few seconds for Dave's sleepy mind to fully compute what Ayla had threatened him with but when it finally did, Dave practically threw himself out of the sleeping bag in a mad scramble to get away from Destiny's teeth.

A quick breakfast of leftovers from the day before and another half hour of clearing up and repacking the tents later, everybody was once again ready to continue the journey for the day.

Two hours later, Dave Ayla and Destiny - who had opted to stay out of her ball for the next part of the journey - were once again back on their journey.

It was a nice sunny day. Dave and Ayla seemed to have fully recovered from their previous bad depressing mood during the night and everybody seemed to be much more cheerful.

Destiny had put the dream of the past night to the back of her head, at least for now. A few people they saw on the way greeted them warmly and some asked a few questions about Destiny. Questions which they answered as best they could with the limited information they had. Nearly all were annoyed that their Pokédex's had no information about Destiny, non more so than Dave himself, who was depressed that he would never fully know just what kind of a pokémon Destiny really was. Well, maybe he could find out from the professor later on, he mused later on.

Once Dave had a friendly battle with another passing trainer, which he won, if barely. For obvious reasons he always refused to let Destiny battle, much to the disappointment of the other trainers. All in all, the day was prefect. Unfortunately, it just could not stay that way.

The group had just passed over a river with a bridge when Destiny, who was day dreaming as she hovered behind the two siblings, saw something which literally made her heart miss a beat.

It was the same red and blue windmill from her visions. It looked directly the same, right down to the same apple tree growing beside it with the same white flag which was sitting directly on the same red pole, in directly the right place on the windmills balcony.

Destiny blinked, looked at the ominous building in shock then blinked again, twice. Then, just to make sure she blinked once more. Each time the structure was still in the same place. Even the apples were in the right positions.

'OK... either the dream affected me more than I thought and I'm seeing things...or this windmill is really here,' she thought, disturbed by what she was seeing.

Destiny quickly tried to calm herself enough so that Dave and Ayla wouldn't notice that something was wrong with her.

'This probably means nothing. It's just a coincidence, nothing else,' she told herself repeatedly, trying to make herself believe what she was thinking. 'Yes that's it...your just overreacting. There are many windmills that look like that,' she told herself as she continued to hover behind the two siblings.

This changed though completely the moment she saw another familiar structure an hour later. The moment she saw the second object; the eagle shaped rock, glaring at her fiercely, as if telling her to turn back, her eyes widened.

'No way! It can't be. There is no way this is just a mere coincidence,' she cried out mentally. Her heart beat was speeding up drastically. Clear signs of an upcoming panic attack.

Noticing the difficulty his Pokémon was in Dave stopped walking, looked at her for a second as if trying to decide what to do, but then, seeing no injuries - he was after all no Pokémon expert - not knowing what else to do, he shrugged. He vowed to keep a close eye on her just in case he continued to walk.

It was difficult for Destiny to continue following Dave and Ayla at that moment. All of her instincts were telling her to turn back and run. To run far away and never look back.

For a second she considered telling them about her dream but discarded the idea almost immediately.

How was she supposed to do that. It was not like she could talk to them. Well, she could, but they wouldn't understand her Pokéspeech. It was not like she was telepathic. At least she didn't think so. She had shown no sign of being telepathic so far. There was also no way she'd ever consider making a run for it and leaving the two behind. Besides, even if in the wild chance that she somehow did get away from them, she didn't know where she was or what to do next anyway, and if they somehow caught up with her Dave would almost definitely put and keep her in her Pokéball.

In the end that would only make things worse. No! ...running wouldn't solve anything. Besides, she had no evidence that the rockets were really going to appear. For all she knew it could be anytime from the next few minutes to anytime in the next few weeks...or not at all. All she knew was that, according to her vision, if it was even going to come true at all, she would be with them...just like she was now.

'Crap,' she thought miserably. That alone was enough reason to worry. What to do? For all she knew the rockets were never going to appear at all... She might even be hallucinating the entire thing, after effects of her dream...vision...dream...whatever. What if the dream was just that, a dream. But what if it actually really was true?

How could she explain the windmill and the strange tree? Was her brain playing tricks on her and making her see things that weren't there? After effects from her nightmare perhaps? she wondered. She wasn't tired...so that couldn't be it.

Another few minutes passed by and for the next few hours nothing else happened. Destiny was finally starting to calm down again. Dave seeing her calm down simply put her sudden change in behaviour down to his Pokémon acting weird. Or maybe it was normal behaviour. For all he knew it could be. She was after all an unknown Pokémon type. At least to him she was.

For a second he thought that his Pokémon looked anxious about something. But what? Surely there was nothing around here to be anxious about... was there? he wondered. He made a mental note to have her checked out once they reached the next Pokémon centre in Viridian city, when they reached it the next day. She didn't seem to be in any pain, just anxious, or so it seemed. For now he would simply continue to observe her. Maybe everything was over now. It was after all her first journey. 'Pokémon probably got frightened of the unknown too,' he told himself. He did consider putting her back into her Pokéball, but discarded the idea as soon as he saw her flinch away from it when he took out the ball to do just that.

Like her brother, Ayla was also worried. She, like Dave had noticed Destiny's strange behavior. She unlike Dave however immediately recognised the signs for what it was; extreme anxiety, but didn't do anything about it as it was normal for the trainer of a Pokémon, not the trainers companions, to help their Pokémon. (How else would they learn otherwise)

While they could indeed tell the trainer about the potential problem, trainers were obliged by league law to let other trainers take care of problems themselves and other trainers were asked to only help or interfere if; either directly asked for help by the other trainer, if the Pokémon was in mortal peril, or if it was obvious that the other trainer was knowingly abusing his or her Pokémon. She noticed that Dave also saw that his Pokémon was having problems and so she didn't say anything else about it.

* * *

><p>The group continued to walk for another few kilometers. Relieved that nothing else peculiar had happened for the past few hours Destiny started to relax once again and enjoy what was left of the day. Just when she thought they were in the all clear her sudden new found peacefulness was rudely shattered for the third time that day.<p>

To Destiny's rising horror she suddenly found herself staring right at a cross roads which was, to say the least, frighteningly familiar.

Closing her eyes briefly in horrified suspense, her heart beat suddenly speeding up to play a fast tango, she glanced at the sign, dreading it to show the same information as that from her vision.

It did not.

Confused, not knowing what to make of it she realised that the sign from the crossroads of her vision and the sign in front of her now were not exactly the same. They had some distinct differences.

It was the same sign...no doubt about it... or at least it looked the same. It was in the same location. It had the same size and shape. Even the same colour. However, instead of pointing to the left, as it had in her vision, this one was pointing towards the right. Further more, to complicate matters even more, instead of 'Viridian city, 20 Kilometres' like it had clearly stated in the vision, this time it said Viridian City 25 Kilometres.

Frowning to herself, she wondered just why the sign was different to the one in her dream when every other vision so far had been directly the same. The whole situation did not feel right and that alone made her extremely nervous. Her sudden feeling of dread was only amplified when Dave, who was also confused, scratched his chin and also mentioned that he was absolutely certain that the sign had been different when he had been here the last time.

Like Destiny, Dave was also confused about the signs on the sign post. Unlike Destiny however he had not had her vision from the past night.

Dave could have sworn that the sign post was pointing in opposite direction the last time he had travelled along this way, a good year ago. He was sure of it.

Destiny, her stress levels multiplying by the minute, finally overwhelming her, suddenly became violently sick.

Seeing his Pokémon barf up her breakfast, Dave, now extremely worried, was really considering putting her back into her Pokéball, even if she didn't like it and then double time it to Viridian city where he would have her checked out the moment they arrived.

Up until now he mused it could have simply been a case of strange Pokémon behaviour... however being violently sick was not normal...for any Pokémon. It was only because of his worry about his sick Pokémon, who had become sick enough to vomit, that Dave did not stay longer to ponder on the matter of the changed sign posts, and so, deciding to trust the sign, he immediately turned right.

Ayla who was still green in the face from watching Destiny upchuck her breakfast, was doing her best to calm the Pokémon down, but it didn't seem to be doing any good. In fact, she seemed to have enough problems calming her own stomach down than that of the Pokémon.

And so, a few minutes later, the group finally approached the final area of Destiny's dream. Destiny realising the place for what it was; the ambush sight, finally had enough and panicked. Unable to take the stress anymore she decided that retreat was the best part of valour and began to make a hover for it.

As quick as she could, before Dave could even blink Destiny turned tail and hovered away as if the devil himself were after her.

It was probably this very act of cowardly self preservation which saved all of their lives.

* * *

><p>Unknown to Dave and Ayla, the two rockets from Destiny's dream were in fact real. Very real indeed. It just so happened that at the direct moment Destiny made her choice to 'hover for it', one of the rockets ordered his Pokémon to blast them with a blast burn attack. It was only Destiny's sudden act of cowardice which saved their lives.<p>

There is an old saying: 'audentes fortuna iuvat,' (fortune favours the bold). That may be true...in most cases. In this case however it was not the bold who was favoured...no...this time it was the coward.

Or maybe she just knew when it was time to do a tactical retreat.

No matter.

Whatever it was, fact is that: rather than face her destiny, Destiny, in her wisdom, listened to her instincts... and chose to flee instead.

It was this act of self preservation which inadvertently caused Dave and Ayla to run after her, which, in turn, caused them to move out of the massive fireballs way, thereby changing Destiny's vision, thereby saving them from a rather painful fiery end.

And so it was that, what would at one time have been a painful one way fiery ticket to the afterlife, was suddenly changed into a very...very lucky escape.

Regrettably, it did not completely save them from the full effects of the highly potent fire attack. Being one of the most powerful and dangerous fire attacks known to all Pokémon, great and small alike; the moment the fire blast hit the ground it caused a massive explosion. This explosion caused a miniature earthquake to rock the ground around them, knocking the two surprised siblings off their feet. The earthquake was then, in turn, followed mere seconds later by an equally destructive shock-wave which sent both, brother and sister flying.

Unable to react in time, taken completely by surprise, Dave and Ayla were blasted apart.

Ayla screamed out in pain and shock as she landed on the ground a few meters away, breaking her arm in the process with a loud snap, as she hit the unforgiving ground.

Dave for his part was send flying, grunting in pain, face first, barely missing a near by tree by the hair of his head, only to land in a painful heap on the ground several meters away.

Only Destiny, the final member of the trio was left... relatively unscratched.

Having had a short head start due to her brief act of merciful and extremely lucky self preserving cowardice, she only just managed to avoid the worst of the blast... by the bare skin of her teeth.

Uninfluenced by the resulting earthquake due to the fact that she hovered, did not run and therefore had no contact with the ground, all she felt was a brief mighty shove from the shock-wave, causing her to plant herself, face first into the roads hard tarmac ground.

For a few seconds all was quiet. Only a few whimpers, curses and groans of pain could be heard... then just as suddenly two people started to sing.

Prepare for trouble...

And make it double...

* * *

><p>AN:

Destiny will meet up with Ash soon ... I'm currently trying to decide whether to have Destiny replace Pika as Ash's starter. Would you be angry with me if I did?

Until next time

LLC


	9. All fired up!

**Chapter edited on: 15/October/2013**

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on Paradox:<strong>

Only Destiny, the final member of the trio was left... relatively unscratched.

Having had a short head start, due to her brief act of merciful and extremely lucky self preserving cowardice, she only just managed to avoid the worst of the blast... by the bare skin of her teeth.

Uninfluenced by the resulting earthquake due to the fact that she hovered and therefore did not run, all she felt was a brief mighty shove from the shock-wave, causing her to plant her face, teeth first into the nearby roads hard tarmac ground.

For a few seconds all was quite. Only a few whimpers, curses and groans of pain could be heard... then just as suddenly two people started to sing.

Prepare for trouble...

And make it double...

**And now the confrontation:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: All fired up<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Rocket 1: <strong>Prepare for trouble...(confident voice)

**Rocket 2:** And better make it double...(posh, arrogant voice)

**Rocket 1:** To prepare the world for rocket domination...

**Rocket 2:**...To steal all pokémon for our nation.

**Rocket 1:** To announce the fears of greed and strife...

**Rocket 2:** ... to demoralise all until despair is your life.

Admin Tia...

...admin Paul

**Tia:** Announcing all evils as old as the night,

**Paul:** Let us share the meanings of an age old plight.

**Tia:** We are Team Rocket prepare for a fight.

**Paul:** Resistance is futile, surrender now, or feel our divine might.

* * *

><p>Destiny was in shock. There was no other word for it. True...she had known this was about to happen. How could she not! Her dream had given her plenty of an early warning. But even so, even with all of her foresight, it had all happened far too fast for her to react. She never knew what hit her until it was already far too late.<p>

Painfully picking herself up from the unmerciful hard tarmac ground, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it of all traces of dizziness, she hardly noticed the slight pain of several new scrapes and scratches which now widely covered several parts of her steel type body. Destiny could only stare in horror at what had just happened.

Dave and Ayla were lying, in bad shape, not that far away. Ayla's arm was clearly broken and she was clearly finding it difficult controlling her pain, if her arms odd angle, her clenched teeth, heavy breaths and whimpering, were anything to go by.

Dave, for his part, now had a large nasty cut all across his face and part of his head. He had obviously been knocked out during his fall.

Both had a few burns, torn clothes and numerous other injuries all over their bodies and neither seemed in any shape to do...well anything at the moment. As it was fighting back in their current condition was nothing short of impossible.

Destiny didn't know what to do. She was completely out of her league.

Here she was... a fresh rookie greenhorn pokémon, a pokémon who couldn't even fight, facing two trained members of a well known criminal organisation.

Here she was, a pokémon who's trainer had just been knocked out and who was in no condition to give her orders...

A pokémon who was surrounded by two professional thief's, all with pokémon of their own, pokémon who were, most likely, stronger and far better trained than her...

In short, she was well and truly TARFU! (totally and royally fucked)

No matter how she looked at the situation, she saw no way of getting out of her current mess.

Well...at least not in a favourable way.

What oh what could she do? she thought, frantically, looking around for a solution to her and her trainers problem.

While Destiny was frantically looking for a way, any way, out of the current mess. The two rockets, now finished with their motto, were looking over their handy work.

"Gee Paul...overkill much?" said Tia with a small sweat-drop as she took a look around at the flames, the damaged surroundings and the small crater nearby.

"Oh, well, you know me Tia... Ya gotta do it right or you don't do it at all. You gotta give the other fellow hell," Paul answered with a arrogant smirk, while gliding his hand though his hair in a posh sort of way.

Tia snorted but otherwise nodded agreeing with her partner. "Indeed... well, let's get this over with and get what we came for. *Sigh* Another easy battle. Somehow I doubt we will find anybody able to give us a good fight any time soon," Tia responded, bored, waving her hand at Dave and Ayla in a dismissive manner. It was clear she didn't expect any resistance from the two siblings any time soon.

Paul nodded and shrugged. It was true. Few could challenge them anymore. They were members of the infamous Rocket elite team known lovingly (by any rockets) as the 'Death Squad'. The best Team Rocket had. Usually only old elite trainers, members of the elite four, or the Gmen could win against them now.

"It's not my fault most trainers these days are so weak...or maybe we are just too damn strong... could be either," he answered with a grin. "Now!... Let's see what this lovely little lady has for us," he said as he took a step towards Ayla.

Seeing one of the rockets taking a step towards Ayla, Destiny finally decided to act and quickly rushed over to Dave. She knew she couldn't fight the rockets herself...but maybe, just maybe she didn't have to...

A normal pokémon would have tried fighting the rockets by themselves... or failing that simply run away with their tail - if they had one - tucked in between their legs.

Destiny however was not a normal pokémon. Far from it. Destiny had at one stage been human. As such she was able to think like a human and more importantly, for that moment, she knew how to use human tools and objects... objects like poké-balls.

Scared about what the Rockets would do to her trainer and his sister, Destiny did the only thing she thought might make a difference, something which few if any pokémon before her, had ever done before... she quickly rushed over to Dave's comatose body, found Dave's poké-balls, pressed the buttons on each, thereby enlarging the balls, and released each pokémon from their respective balls.

The rockets, taken by surprise, stopped and stared as they had not noticed her until that moment. Wondering what the new pokémon was as they had never seen anything like her before, it took them a few seconds to recover from their surprise and to react to the new pokémon which was now standing in their way. Rightfully thinking that the new pokémon was going to defend the unconscious boy, who they rightfully presumed was the pokémon's trainer, they were even more surprised when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by not one but six pokémon.

Had these been normal grunts, Destiny's sudden move might have won her the battle. Unfortunately, these rockets were not grunts but battle hardened admins. Members of the Rocket Elites known as the Death Squad. Such a small setback was not going to stop them for long.

While the rockets were indeed taken by surprise, the rockets still had a few crucial advantages which they quickly made full use of.

Firstly: While Destiny knew what had happened, Dave's other pokémon had not been outside of their poke-balls and therefore needed a few seconds to realise what had happened before they could react. Crucial seconds which could otherwise have been used to quickly win the battle.

Secondly; Destiny, while she could indeed think like a human, did not however know the others battle styles or moves. It was just not something a pokémon usually had to deal with. Usually pokémon only worried about themselves and let the trainer call the shots.

Destiny, intelligent as she may have been, had not yet seen all of her ball mates fight and so had no real battling experience to fall back on. Other than her own disastrous fight and those few fights she had observed against passers-by, she was woefully unprepared for the upcoming battle. Sure she could still guess, but that's a severe disadvantage while in the middle of a high grade battle.

Thirdly and most importantly, these were not rookie trainers, or your everyday trainer from the street. These were experienced battle hardened admins, the elites of the rocket organisation.

Better trainers than Dave had fought and lost against these. Faced with such overwhelming odds against their favour it was therefore not something Destiny and the others could hope to win.

It was therefore no real surprise that, when faced with such an extremely difficult situation, Destiny could only really hope to do some damage control, or failing that, hope for a miracle.

It was all over before it could really begin.

The amount of time it took for Dave's other pokémon to realise what had happened and to get ready for a weak defence, was more than enough time for both admins to not only call out their other pokémon, but also to come up with a quick effective plan.

Oh, Destiny tried to keep a clear head and she did try to tell the others what to do... She did try, honestly... unfortunately none of the others took her seriously. To the others she was hardly more than a new born, with little to no experience in battling. Indeed, since she had as good as lost her first and only battle to date, none of the others believed that a pokémon, who had never showed any ability to fight, could possibly know what to do in such a situation.

And so it happened, the way it simply was meant to be...

Outnumbered two to one...and severely outclassed in every way, picked of one by one, by numerous battle hardened pokémon, of equally battle hardened Rockets, Destiny soon found herself, once again alone, facing not two, but twelve enemy pokémon and two smirking trainers, while her friends were all unconscious and otherwise out for the count.

Hardly good odds.

The only reason why she hadn't followed the others into the realm of Morpheus was simply because she hadn't followed them into battle.

Once again Destiny didn't now what to do.

She knew she couldn't fight them herself. She didn't know how to. Something which she really hated about herself.

Then again, even if she could have, she wouldn't have. Twelve was just too much too handle.

Faced with definite total defeat against overwhelming odds, but unwilling to simply give up and roll over, and definitely not willing to simply flee and leave the others behind, Destiny did something she had not done for many long years.

She closed her eyes and prayed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Far away in another realm; Hall of Origin.<strong>_

Far away, in another dimension, Arceus was doing whatever it was Poké-gods did, when he was suddenly startled by a sudden ominous feeling. Immediately deciding to stop what he was doing, he turned his full attention towards the feeling and tried to follow it to its source.

Having learned a long time ago to take such feelings seriously, driven by a sudden feeling of great need, he quickly used a substantial amount of his free godly power to quickly create a small mirror like portal to the human world. It wasn't much, just barely enough to let him see what was happening on the other side, but it was the best he could currently manage to do given such limited time to find out what was happening in the human world.

The portal would let him view what was happening and would allow him limited influence into said world. He would not however be able to travel to that world himself.

Arceus could have created a different portal and travelled across himself, but that would have taken a lot more time and a lot more power. Power which he simply couldn't afford to use right now. Even at this very moment the majority of his power was constantly in use in a constant battle, keeping his alternate self out of the human world, until his chosen ones were ready to fight it...

It was only due to his alternate self that he had been forced to send Destiny to the pokémon world. It was his hope that she would team up with Ash, his other chosen one, and become strong enough to battle Suecra, his evil counterpart, at least until he himself could arrive to restore the balance.

It was a gamble. It had always been a gamble... But it was the best he could do due to the current circumstances.

While Destiny was praying and Arceus was busy opening a portal to the human world, Ayla had been watching was had happened.

In tears and in great pain she was very scared.

She too did not know what to do. How could she? One moment she was hurrying along a road, worrying about Destiny, then the next, she suddenly found herself flung to the ground, in great pain, with a broken arm, covered in burns and surrounded by twelve dangerous pokémon and their two equally highly dangerous criminal masters.

Highly worried about they would do to her and her brother, she was close to panicking when Destiny had suddenly released Dave's other pokémon from their balls.

Surprised by what had happened she allowed herself a few fleeting seconds of hope. Hope that maybe Dave's other pokémon could somehow drive back the two rockets, but alas, it was not to be.

They fought, valiantly from what she could see, but the other pokémon were simply far too strong and their trainers far too experienced. Just a simple minute later all of her brothers pokémon were defeated and out for the count.

All...but one.

Destiny had somehow survived and was still able to battle...for all the good she could do. Which was unfortunately very little.

Destiny was busy praying and looking for a way out of her current mess when she suddenly heard a very familiar voice inside her head.

'RUN!'

'Run!... Diana...there is nothing you can do here,' came the voice.

Destiny was so surprised by the sudden voice that she froze.

She knew that voice. It was the voice of the one who had brought her to this world...

It was...

"Arceus?" she said out loud.

"Is that you?" she asked, new hope in her eyes.

'There is no time to talk...Run!...Get away while you still can,' the voice said again.

"But what about Dave and Ayla...I can't just..." She never got a chance to finish her question.

'I'll make sure nothing happens to them,' the voice said. 'Go...the longer you stay, the more they are in danger,' The voice continued.

Destiny hesitated.

That one moment of hesitation was all the time one of the rockets needed to act.

"Electivire...we need it alive...paralyse it...use thunderwave then use Thunder to knock it out," Tia screamed, meaning to finish the battle quickly before anything more could happen.

"Infernape...heatwave followed up by flamethrower, full power...finish it off," came the voice of Paul.

Destiny could only gasp in horror before a huge wave of lightening and another of fire was suddenly blasted her way.

Closing her eyes Destiny didn't even think about dodging and braced herself to feel overwhelming pain.

Ayla screamed out in alarm as one by one the rockets ordered their pokémon to attack Destiny. There was noting she could do, but watch.

She was fairly sure a new born pokémon like Destiny would have no chance against a super powered attack like a thunder attack. In fact she'd be lucky to be alive after they were done with her.

Horrified at what was happening, unable and unwilling to see what was about to happen to the friendly dragon type pokémon, Ayla looked away.

Ayla fully expected to hear a loud heart wrenching cry of pain any second now...

However...it never came.

Surprised Ayla risked a look. Then she gasped.

* * *

><p>Destiny had all but given up all sense of hope.<p>

She knew she was no where near strong enough to survive a direct attack of such power at her current level.

Oh, if only she had listened to Arceus. Oh if only she had run away, she thought. If only... would have, could have, should have... Alas, it was now too late.

Steeling herself for pain, pain the likes she had never felt before, she waited for her end to come. Maybe it would be quick...she definitely hoped so.

Slowly she closed her eyes and waited.

And waited...

And waited...

And even waited some more...

It took several seconds for her to realise no pain was about to come. Only then did she open her eyes. Then she gasped.

Arceus groaned and would have face-palmed had he been able to when he realised Destiny was not going to run away as he had told her too. Then again, he mused. It was probably too much to expect from her at that moment.

Most pokémon were usually very loyal towards their trainers, willing to do almost anything and go to any lengths to please them. Many became so loyal over time that they would willingly sacrifice themselves, if it meant the trainer would survive.

He should not have been surprised that Destiny was no different.

With a sigh Arceus prepared to use a huge amount of his powerful reserves to once again, save the day. There wasn't much he could currently do, pokémon God or not. Even he had limits. He was simply too far away to do much. However...maybe he could at least buy her some time.

With another audible sigh Arceus suddenly glowed white and sent his power through the portal.

The rockets already had smiles on their faces and empty special poke-balls in their hands which they were going to use to capture the pokémon with - should it survive the attacks - when the whole area was suddenly illuminated in a blinding flash of light.

The flash was so bright that, taken completely by surprise, both rockets could only cover their eyes when they were momentarily blinded by the bright flash, before their mouths literally fell open in amazement at what they saw.

* * *

><p>Destiny didn't know what had happened. She honestly didn't care. After all, one does not simply look a gift horse into its mouth. Especially not when said horse just saved your life.<p>

One second she thought she was done for...

...The next she was suddenly surrounded by a dazeling humming oval shield of multicolored light. A shield which she was sure was not her own.

It was simply mezmerising.

It was as if the shield was made out of all of the elements known to pokémon kind. Fire, water, electric, ice, grass, dark... All the rest were there too.

It seemed as if all of the different powers known to all pokémon, far and wide, had somehow come together for a single cause:

To protect their chosen one.

All around her pokémon and humans, friendly and enemy alike, gasped and gaped in wonder as a massive shield absorbed all of the attacks, then slowly decreased in size before disappearing once again.

Nobody could believe what had happened.

Ayla could only gape and stare in disbelief at what she had just witnessed. Nothing could have prepared her for it.

The rockets for their part were momentarily stunned speechless. Such incredible power, from such a small pokémon. It took a few seconds for their minds to reboot but then suddenly, slowly, manic grins started to appear over their faces.

Practically salivating, with stars in their eyes, they were suddenly overcome with an utmost desire, no...rather an overwhelming need to capture, what they thought was a powerful pokémon.

"Oh Tia...we hit the jackpot this time," Paul gushed excitedly. He could hardly keep the glee out of his voice.

Tia could only nod, making no effort of keeping the drool in her mouth.

Destiny for her part gulped and started to take a take a few steps...er... hovers back, away from the advancing rockets. The sight of the two rocket members practically drooling over her frightened her even more than the thought of them hurting her with a few more of their powerful attacks.

"Oh...it will be our largest coup yet. The boss will be so happy. He'll give us anything we want," said Paul gleefully, taking a step forward as if he was going to fight and capture the pokémon all by himself.

"Quick...quick...capture it already...quickly now," Tia all but screeched, all sense of restraint and decency forgotten at the thought of capturing such a powerful pokémon.

Destiny's eyes, had they been able to, would have bulged and dropped out of her head at the current horror she was feeling.

Whether it was a primeval sense of self preservation or simply pure instinct, Destiny would never know.

At that moment she really didn't care.

All she knew was that she had to get away...quickly.

Suddenly overtaken by an acute sense of fear and urgency, Destiny turned around and did that which she should have done all along; she fled. It was as if the hounds of Hades itself, were after her.

The rockets were so overcome by their need to capture, what was in their opinion the 'Holy Grail' of rocket kind, that they completely forgot about the other fainted pokémon all around them and rushed after their new prey, leaving numerous pokémon and two humans, one unconscious the other dazed, behind.

* * *

><p>Destiny was in full retreat. For the first time in her short existence she truly feared for her life and not for the first time did she wonder why she had ever taken Arceus's offer.<p>

She must have been overcome in a sudden feeling of madness. She could have had a quiet time in the afterlife...but no...she just had to take up Acreus's offer. Turning around she literally tucked her tail beneath her and fled.

The direct moment she fled, the rockets rushed after her all guns...or rather pokémon blazing. All pun intended.

Attack after attack came. Destiny barely dodged them all. For the next few minutes Destiny was so busy dodging attack after attack, that she was feeling more and more like a live target practise range by the second. Dodging attack after attack, from twelve different pokémon using whatever cover or obstacles she could find to make her futile escape that little bit more successful. It was only due to her amazing speed and superior dexterity that she was still in relatively good shape. Though that wasn't saying much.

She was in pain...great pain...more pain than she could ever remember... and very near at the end of her strength. While most attacks had indeed missed her and none had hit her directly, out of shear dumb luck, a few had grazed her. And damn where they painful.

Once again Destiny was glad she was a steel/dragon type hybrid. Had she been any other type she was sure she would have fainted long ago.

Even so, even with all of her incredible type advantage, she knew, she wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Already she could feel herself growing more and more fatigued and she was covered all over in numerous bruises and burns, of all levels of intensity. If she had to guess then it was only her adrenaline, her need to escape, which was keeping her going now. She just knew she would be feeling it the next day...

...If she survived the experience to see the next day at all that is.

She was sure if the rockets didn't kill her then her burns and wounds surely would.

Looking around frantically for a way...anyway at all out of her increasingly perilous situation, she was even considering actually letting the rockets capture her to end the pain, when she suddenly noticed a near by forest.

'Maybe I can lose them in there,' she hoped. At this point she was desperate enough and willing to try anything.

Destiny realised that it would mean sacrificing her speed for cover. She knew she would have a few problems navigating in the forest, something which she was sure the others would have less problems with...she was after all made for open spaces, not tight narrow forests...even if her dexterity was advanced for a pokémon. But at this rate she wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer anyway.

'Anything is better than being out there in the open,' she thought to herself. Briefly she considering her options and found them all severely wanting.

Besides, she thought. If she was lucky, she might be able to lose them in there, though if she was truthful with herself she doubted it. Destiny had no idea how good pokémon noses... or their other senses were, however she was fairly sure they could easily sniff her out if they had to.

Taking a leap of faith, Destiny lost no time and leaving her destiny up to fate, she entered the forest.

Imagine her surprise when the rockets did not immediately follow her, but instead stopped right at the entrance.

Destiny, taken by surprise and against her better judgement, also stopped not far inside the forest.

'Why aren't they following me inside?' she wondered, perplexed at he sudden turn of events. Suddenly sudden images of fairy-tale monsters and other such imaginary reasons started appearing in her mind as possible reasons for the rockets delay.

Disgusted, Destiny scolded herself for thinking such childish nonsense. Then again she thought, for all she knew there could be a dangerous pokémon in there somewhere. Dangerous enough to even scare the rockets - a truly frightening thought. Still, surely it would be better than being out there with them, she reasoned.

Unfortunately for her, it was not to be that easy.

Just when Destiny was about to continue into the forest one of the rockets started to speak.

"I know you can hear us. Come out where ever you are... or we will go back and harm your trainer," the male rocket said nastily.

"We promise to capture you quickly. We'll even promise to leave your... 'old' trainer alive, if you come out and let us capture you," the female rocket added, stressing the word 'if,' all the while using a sweet babyish tone of voice. A tone which made Destiny shiver.

Destiny mentally cursed. 'Oh they just had to think about doing that, didn't they,' she thought sullenly.

What should she do?

What could she do?

Did she even have a choice?

She realised she had three options. None of which she liked.

On one hand she could continue on into the forest and hope Dave and Ayla somehow managed to get away.

On another hand she could jump out and fight them... 'Ya right... fat chance of that happening,' she thought, immediately dismissing that idea for what it was...a bad idea.

...or...

...or she could simply give herself up to the rockets...and then hope the rockets kept their word and left Dave and Ayla alone.

Highly unlikely...yet, still possible.

It really irked her that option three seemed to be the best choice at that moment.

Destiny was just about to surrender and hope for the best, when suddenly, the same voice from before, called out to her once more.

'Go...don't worry about your friends. They are safe now. Go! Leave them... Flee! Continue your destiny... Look for my chosen one... Go! before it's too late...GO!' the voice said urgently.

Destiny hesitated for a second more, but then, nodded and rushed of into the depts of the forest.

However she was not out of trouble yet.

Unknown to Destiny, while she was making up her mind on what to do, the two rockets were not simply standing around and doing nothing.

They had not come as far as they had in Team Rocket by waiting for the good stuff to come to them. Instead, unwilling to simply let her choose, they were busy scouting the immediate area and looking for any signs of the wayward pokémon.

Annoyed by the slow speed of their search, Paul, not the most patient person in the world, suddenly decided to take a different approach.

"This is going no where...," he said angrily, kicking a small rock at a nearby tree, before turning to face his pokémon. "Infernape, flamethrower on those trees over there," he ordered, pointing at a few nearby trees. "If it doesn't want to come out willingly, then maybe we can flush it out instead," he growled, fully intending to burn down the whole forest to get to the pokémon if he had to.

Destiny could do nothing else but curse loudly and speed up her escape as the forest suddenly began to catch flame and burn behind her.

'Are they trying to kill me?' she mentally screamed to herself in utmost fear as the flames started to spread out from tree to tree until a real raging bush fire started to form behind her.

Destiny was now beginning to panic as she hovered away as fast as she could. Already weakened as she was, it wasn't that much. Just barely enough to stay ahead of the flames.

Already behind her she could hear the numerous terrible screams of pain as the local wildlife of the forest were caught in the flames.

Had she had a moment to think about it Destiny was sure she would have been sick. As it was the smell of burning flesh was indescribable and she was certain she would never forget those dreadful dieing sounds as long as she lived.

'If' she survived and lived.

What those rockets were doing was absolutely horrible...absolutely evil. There was no other way to describe it. And why? To get to her?

Destiny was completely horrified. All of those deaths...all because of her?

One by one she could hear another innocent life snuffed out by the advancing flames. All around her wildlife of all types and sizes were running, crawling and scurrying past her or after her, as each tried to escape in their own way. For a limited time, predators and prey alike were united in a single common goal: To get away at all costs.

Suddenly Destiny reached the edge of a steep fall into what looked like a small ravine. At the bottom of the ravine was what looked like a small lake.

Unable to decide whether to curse about the steep drop or to rejoice about the lake and the watery goodness below, Destiny took one fleeting look behind her, then, deciding that the jump was far better than the fire, no matter how painful, she closed her eyes and with a manic scream, she jumped.

* * *

><p>Destiny screamed and screamed as she fell.<p>

All in all it must have taken her several long seconds before she suddenly realised something very important.

Something critically important.

With an even louder scream of horror she realised that she was about to miss the lake below.

"FUUUUUuuuuuuccccckkkk!" she screamed, her voice could be heard a mile away as one loud terrified screech, in one loud drawn out incoming, then retreating wave of sound.

It was the sound of a creature who was just staring at the face of doom and knew there was nothing it could do about it.

Forty meters

Thirty meters

Destiny closed her eyes

Twenty meters

Fifteen meters

The ground came closer and closer.

Destiny swore one last time.

Ten, nine, eight...skip five, two, one...

Then...

At the very last second... a flash of bright white light.

Back at the top of the ravine, away from the main part of the fire two pissed of rocket members stood. Both had just managed to arrive in time to watch Destiny's fall. Groaning and swearing loudly, they watched as they saw their prey suddenly disappear in a brief flash of white light.

"Oh bugger me." Paul said, before hitting a near by tree with his hand, his anger clearly visible. Seconds later he could be seen, teeth clenched, holding his abused, bruised hand in his other hand.

Tia, for her part, looked sadly at the place where Destiny would have fallen had she not disappeared. "So close...oh so, so close," she whispered sadly, shaking her head in dismay.

"There goes our next pay cheque," Paul added, forlornly.

"Ah well...at least we still have the kids other pokémon," Tia said suddenly.

"Yeah...your right...at least if they are still there...," Paul started to agree but stopped.

He would have finished that sentence had they not suddenly heard voices...a lot of voices coming towards their general location.

"This way...they ran this way," they heard someone say.

Both rockets groaned.

"Oh well, it was a nice thought," Paul said grimly. He knew when they were defeated.

"Yeah... it's the thought which counts, Tia answered before sighing, depressed.

Both Rockets looked at each other before both nodded grimly.

"I can't believe I'm about to say it...it's been such a long time," Paul said, a dejected look on his face.

"Well...look on the bright side...at least if wasn't a blast off," Tia added weakly.

"Team Rocket is retreating once again!" both lamented at the same time, anime tears flowing down their faces, before both blasted of before they could be seen...or worse caught.

Seconds later they were gone.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile...Hall of Origin<strong>_

Back in another realm Arceus sighed heavily and finally allowed himself time to relax.

It was touch and go there for a while, but it had all turned out 'OK' in the end.

At least he thought it did.

He had just managed to teleport Destiny away, just in the last nick of time, just before she could hit the ground. He didn't know where, he simply had not had enough time to pick out a place for her to teleport to. However, Arceus was sure about three things:

One; She was still in Kanto, somewhere near to Pallet Town. He had managed that much in the short amount of time he had.

Secondly; He was almost certain he had sent here to a safe place and not anywhere under water, or high in the sky. He had made absolutely certain that she would land softly...wherever it was she appeared. So she should be unaffected from her fall and at least fine for that part. Unfortunately the same could not be said for her other injuries. Those, she would still have to deal with on her own.

Finally, he was one hundred percent certain that she was still alive.

At least for now.

Groaning, breathing heavily from his latest use of his power, Arceus suddenly realised he was more drained than he thought. He had used far more of his power than he felt was wise while saving Destiny's life. A God he may be, but even he had his limits.

Directly interacting with the world from such a distance had left him severely weakened.

Grimly he realised he would not be able to keep an eye out on Destiny for the foreseeable future. Not if he still wanted to counter Suecra's attempts to enter the human word.

It would take a while before he would have enough power to be able to protect her again.

As such he needed to find an alternate solution... at least until she was strong enough to look after herself.

But what? he wondered.

It took him a few minutes but suddenly Arceus's eyes brightened as an idea came to him.

"Of course...that should do it," he said rather loudly, before standing up straight and sending out a telepathic call.

Several minutes later a pink flash of light illuminated the immediate area as a particular famous pink cat suddenly appeared before him.

"Father?" said a new voice, coming from the pink cat.

"Mew," Arceus said back as a way of greeting.

"You all right?" asked Mew, suddenly realising her fathers current level of fatigue.

Arceus nodded. "Yes I am...just a little tired. I had to help someone in the human realm...and you know how difficult it can be to do that from here," he answered, doing his best to smile and hide just how tired he currently felt, which was quite tired so say the least. Helping Destiny had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit.

It seemed to help as Mew quickly cheered up again.

"You called me?" she asked looking expectantly at Arceus.

"Yes...yes I did...," Arceus answered, turning his attention back to the matter at hand. Suddenly his demeanour changed from that of a father to that of a harsh military general.

"Mew...I need to to go to the human word to protect someone for me...at least until she is strong enough to look after herself," he said sternly in reply.

Almost immediately Mew straightened, recognising the tone of her God, commander and creator, not her usual kind, benevolent father and nodded. "Yes Sir!" she answered. It wasn't the first time Arceus had asked her to protect someone in the other realm.

"Sir!... Who is it this time...another human?" she asked already accepting the new assignment.

"No...no human," Arceus said, surprising Mew.

"No human... you want me to protect a pokémon?" asked Mew surprised, temporally dropping her professional attitude. That was new and completely unexpected.

Arceus nodded. "Yes a new pokémon who goes by the name of Destiny...or... 'I don't know', though I think that name may be a thing of the past now...," he said, a small shiver going down his back at the mere thought of the atrocity of a name. With a small flash of telepathic power he sent Mew Destiny's image and everything he thought Mew should know about her. Which was everything except the fact that she was once human or where she had come from.

Mew sweat-dropped. "Your serious... she was called 'I don't know,'" Mew said as she shifted through the new information and whistled softly as she realised just what it was she was going to be protecting. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or feel story for the unfortunate pokémon. Probably both.

"It was an unfortunate... laps of judgement...I'm sure," Said Arceus, choosing his words carefully to explain Dave's disastrous choice of name.

'Yah, I'm sure,' Mew thought sarcastically, but didn't say it out loud.

"Anyway..." Mew said before straightening up again. "Back to the matter at hand. You want me to act as a guardian for...Destiny," Mew said using her charges 'chosen name' for the first time. Arceus nodded.

"And you want me to continue to do so until she is either able to take care of herself, or until she is captured by another human," Mew said finishing with a sigh.

This Destiny had almost no natural pokémon instincts and no prior knowledge of the wild. No basic knowledge or basic instincts which every pokémon usually had from their mema's. (Mema is the pokemon term for mother)

Once again Arceus nodded his head.

"Oh bugger me now and get it over with," Mew said, a dejected look on her face causing Arceus to sweat-drop.

"Now, now...I'm sure she won't be that bad," Arceus said, trying to reassure his daughter, completely dropping his military attitude and falling into his role of a father.

Mew sighed but finally nodded her head. "OK...I'll do it...but only because it's you who asked me to," Mew said, sighing again heavily. Had it been anybody else she would have told them to take the request and to...to shove it where...well...where the sun didn't shine.

This was going to become really troublesome. This Destiny was going to become a real handful to watch over. She could practically feel it. And she hadn't even started watching her yet.

It took a few seconds for Mew to completely digest what this would mean for her, before she nodded her head and motioned Arceus to continue.

Seeing that Mew was ready to continue her briefing, Arceus readopted his Military Demeanour.

"Mew...Your mission is:

To search for and find the pokémon called Destiny and to watch over and protect her from any and all life threatening encounters. Do not interfere if the encounter is non life threatening. Fainting from a battle does not automatically mean life threatening.

To are obliged to stay out of sight and you should not be seen by your charge or any human at any time. Contact with your charge is strictly forbidden unless absolutely necessary to insure your charges survival. While I'd prefer her to remain ignorant of you... it is none the less preferable for you to be seen, rather to her experiencing an undesirable alternative such as permanent paralysis, or worse... death.

Should contact with members of Team Rocket be unavoidable you're to take action as deemed necessary but all other humans are to be left alone unless they directly threaten the life of your charge. Capture of your charge by a human of none Team Rocket origin is permitted. Capture of your charge by a rocket, however, is to be denied...or if impossible...to be delayed for as long as possible.

You may initiate contact should the survival of your change require it, but are requested not to interfere with the local population unless absolutely necessary. Your charge should learn how to survive in the wild on her own, under her own power."

Arceus paused for a second and then looked directly into Mews eyes.

"Mew...one last thing before I let you go... and while I hate to say this...it's unfortunately necessary due to the current circumstances," he said, his voice suddenly turning cold, something which shocked Mew.

"You are not...I repeat not to go sight seeing while on the way to your charge...I know how much you like to...deviate from your normal duties. This should not happen here. It is of the utmost importance that you Do...Not!...Fail!...Me!" Arceus said, strongly stressing his last few words before pausing for a second before continuing with a small sigh.

He hated what he was about to say, but it had to be said, if only to show how serious he was about the current situation.

"Mew...there is no easy way of saying this so I'll just go ahead and say it...let me make this perfectly clear to you...should Destiny not survive...then...(here Arceus paused for a second and even let out a small sob before he continued)...then neither should you. The world... depends on your success."

The moment Arceus finished saying that last part the whole area went deathly quiet. It was so quiet, in fact, that if one were to listen, and if one had the ears for it, you could literally hear a pin drop several miles away.

Needless to say Mew was frozen, shocked, her eyes wide open at what she had just heard.

For Arceus to be willing to actually sacrifice his own daughter, or any of his children, was saying a lot of just how important this pokémon was to him.

What could she say to that? Was there anything she could say to that?

Mew gulped quietly then slowly she gave a nod. "Understood Sir!" she said quietly though a suddenly very dry mouth.

Arceus simply nodded then said; "Good luck...Dismissed!"

Giving a final nod to show that she had understood Mew took a step back, turned around stiffly then teleported away.

Only then, only when she was finally gone did Arceus allow himself to relax and his ice cold mask to crack and collapse.

"Please survive," he whispered into the empty air. 'If she doesn't survive...then the world is lost'.

For a few moments he allowed himself to simply stare into space then with a heavy sigh he went back to what leaders, of all types, usually did when they couldn't get away from it...

...Paperwork.

Sometimes it just wasn't easy being in charge.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back in the human world late in the evening; Saffron City.<strong>_

It was late in the evening in Kanto's largest city; Saffron. All was quiet, or at least as quiet as one could expect a city, any city, to be after a busy days work. Especially a large city like Safron.

Most of the cities inhabitants were simply getting ready to turn in for the night. But once in a while, if you took some time to actually look around, you could see a straggler or two out for a late evening stroll, or maybe even a lone trainer looking for the local pokémon centre, or another place to stay for the night.

One of these people was a well known pokémon trainer, Kanto's current league champion and Gman of the pokémon League; Lance.

However, unlike Saffron's other inhabitants, Lance was not out for a calm evening stroll. Unfortunately, he was currently on duty in an official capacity as one of Kanto's Gmen.

The Gmen were a group of highly trained trainers tasked with the duty of upholding the order and stability of the pokémon world. They were like the special forces, judge and jury of the pokémon world all in one, and their word was law. Only the pokémon council or an 'official' sworn in aura guardian could overrule them, once they had made a decision. Even the police force and in some cases the military answered to them. They were that powerful.

Just a few hours ago Lance had received a report of a vicious attack on two trainers on a road near Viridian City. It was just the latest of a series of attacks on innocent travellers.

This time the victims had been two young trainers...a boy and a girl, siblings from what he had been able to find out, from the brief amount of time the nurses had allowed him to have with them, which wasn't that much.

According to the official facts, they had been transported straight into the emergency ward of Saffron's hospital, via abra teleportation, after they had been attacked by two vicious bandits.

It looked like the usual case; Traveller meets thief. Traveller battles thief. Thief wins battle against traveller. Thief steals travellers pokémon and escapes.

It was always like that and it usually always was the same people who attacked around these parts. The numerous raids on innocent travellers and trainers and the occasional bombing here and there...though the bombings were thankfully rare...

Most of the time the thief's would lay in wait for lone trainers. They would then overwhelm them with pure firepower before taking the pokémon from the easily beaten trainers after which they would then proceed to lay low for a while, before doing it again. Sometimes they were lucky...sometimes not.

Unfortunately nobody had been able to capture the most recent culprits yet, but Lance was fairly certain that the thief's were members of the regional criminal organisation known worldwide as Team Rocket. It had to be Team Rocket. Nobody else had the skill...the daring...or indeed the manpower to pull of so many raids. At least not without getting caught. Lance was simply grateful that the current rocket organisation was not as powerful as it had been in the past. He would forever be thankful to... 'him' for that.

They were like cockroaches with the nine lives of a cat. Not that Lance had anything against cockroaches per se...and he definitely had nothing against cats...besides the one which had scratched him last week maybe...but seriously...even if by some off chance he and his colleagues somehow managed to capture a Rocket member (something they constantly did), someone was always around, willing and able to take their place. It was so aggravating.

Oh they had tried to interrogate those they had managed to capture...but most just didn't have any news or information worth interrogating them for. In the off chance that they did capture someone important or high enough in the Rocket hierarchy - something which was sadly very rare - it didn't make much of a difference either way. By the time they arrived by the one rocket safe house the unfortunate Rocket did know about, they always found it abandoned.

No matter what they tried, the rockets always seemed one...or even a few steps ahead of them. One even chose to commit suicide rather than tell them anything.

Lance shook his head as he remembered that one rocket. Normally he'd respect such dedication, but these guys just annoyed him.

Even now, years after the first Rocket member was first sighted...even now after all of those many years...even after...'he' defeated them... the illustrious leader was still unknown. It was something which really, really annoyed him. To the extreme. Some G-men had become nearly fanatical in their crusade against the criminal organisation.

Lance had only just come from his visit from the newest victims of the Rocket organisation and he could honestly say that this time the criminals had nearly outdone themselves. And not in a good way.

David, one of the kids who had been attacked, had been unconscious throughout the whole ordeal, his sister however had been awake to tell him about the whole encounter and had seen the whole debacle. Well...up to the point her brothers pokémon fled.

According to her the rockets, a male and a female - they always worked in pairs and each pair always had one of each gender - had ambushed them with a super powered fire attack. There had been no early warning. From the way Ayla, the girl, had described the attack, Lance was sure it was a fire blast...or maybe even a blast burn attack. Only those powerful attacks had the necessary power to cause such widespread destruction. To use such a powerful attack, so carelessly, as if it were candy, meant that the rockets had no qualms what so ever about seriously hurting their targets, be it pokémon or human. It didn't seem to matter to them in the slightest. This made them even more dangerous and wholly unpredictable.

Indeed, the reports of a huge bush fire in the immediate area shortly afterwards, only supported his theory, that these Rocket members were highly dangerous and only thought about themselves or their goals...the worst sort of criminal possible; a 'me first, who cares about anybody else,' sort of attitude, no matter how much damage they caused to get their way.

Lance sighed to himself. He had been at the scene of the disaster. The whole area had been burnt down. Kilometers of wildlife...all gone because of two criminals with a superiority complex the size of a wailords backside.

The poor girl had not taken it well when he had told her the bad news. At first he had thought her to simply be a kind hearted girl, who was sad about all the wildlife lost in the fire... he was fairly sure she was just that: a kind hearted girl...however it was only later that he fully understood just what she had been worried about. Her brothers pokémon had run away...presumably into the forest to get away from the Rockets...

Lance had looked for it, whatever it was, but had not found it.

He could only fear the worst.

A real shame.

He had looked at the pokédex picture and he had never seen anything like it...and now probably never would.

If what he saw from the picture the girl had given him was true, then that pokémon might have been a new breed...most likely ultra rare... Maybe even a one of a kind.

They'd probably never know now. To lose it in such a dreadful way...

Shaking his head at the senseless loss of life, Lance thought back to the...rather heated phone call he had had with Professor Oak.

He had never seen the professor so angry before. Actually he had also never seen the professor so disappointed before either.

According to him he had been really impatiently looking forward to seeing a pokémon of that very description for the past few days... ever since he had received the pokémons transfer forms from David, Ayla's brother. He had even been deliberating on whether to use a helicopter to find them, only so he could see the pokémon sooner. At least, he would have had it not been a blatant misuse of his authority at the time...not to mention government funds and equipment.

Lance was fairly sure the good professor would have given his left leg...or worse...maybe even his left testicle... (he shivered at the thought)...to have seen that pokémon. The way he had acted after he heard what had happened, Lance could have sworn the professor had just found out that he had missed the proverbial find of the millennium. In fact he was sure he probably wouldn't have acted any different if his laboratory had suddenly burnt down and all of his years of work as well as all of his pokémon inside had been lost in the fire.

Now THAT! would have been a true disaster of the highest order.

It really was a truly pitiful sight, seeing his old friend in such a state. The memory of the professor sulking in a dark corner, poking at the ground with a stick, a dark raincloud over his head, (figuratively speaking of course) was one which he dearly hoped he would never have to see again. That man really loved pokémon. That man would give anything for pokémon. Even his own life if he had to. It nearly broke his heart to see the professor so distraught.

With another sigh and another shake of his head Lance suddenly realised he had subconsciously entered the hotel he was currently staying in.

Deciding to call it a night, he swore he would find those rockets soon... and when he did... then...

Well...he'd come to that part when he found them...

All he knew he'd make them pay...somehow.

For now he was ready for a good nights rest.

Damn, he was exhausted.

Yes he thought..tomorrow he'd see... but for now he'd take a good nights rest...only then could he find them and go pokéevil of their asses.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A small clearing in the middle of a forest, many miles away, close to Pallet Town.<strong>_

Many miles away, somewhere in the middle of a forest near the little peaceful town of Pallet, a few wild pokémon were enjoying the last few rays of evening sunlight when they were suddenly startled by a flash of bright white light.

Doing quickly what most wild pokémon would do, when suddenly surprised by a loud noise, or a large flash of light, they quickly fled, leaving the immediate area deserted.

It took a few seconds for the after glow of he sudden flash to disappear but soon a new arrival, in the form of a badly hurt black dragon like creature, could be seen in the once populated area.

Destiny only had a few seconds to realise what she was not, in fact a mere bloody smear on the ravines hard ground, but actually very much alive, if in a lot of pain. But that was to be expected.

One did not take a fifty meter long fall and hope to survive it unscratched.

Heavily injured and very exhausted, simply happy and not caring how it was possible that she was still alive. She just managed to slither half a meter and crawl one more before, too weak to continue further and in severe pain from her wounds/burns, utterly spent, she collapsed as darkness slowly took her, then she knew no more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Ok...I think this is a good place to stop this chapter.

This chapter shows the end of the first arc of this story.

**First Arc:** Destiny's rebirth and her first few moments with Dave. Right up to the moment she leaves him to continue her destiny.

**Second Arc:** Read to find out ;-)

Now...please excuse me...I have to decide on a few very important facts:

(a) Whether to allow Garry to capture Destiny first

and

(b) Whether Ash will start of with Pikachu or if Destiny will have the honour of being his first instead.

or even

(c) Whether to let Gary have Pikachu instead. LOL

Decisions decisions.. oh what ever should I do...

Until next time...

Bye for now.


	10. Survival training 101 - Part 1

**Chapter last edited on: **15/October/2013

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on Paradox:<strong>

Destiny only had a few seconds to realise that she was not in fact a mere bloody smear on the ravines hard ground, but actually very much alive, if in a lot of pain. But that was to be expected.

One did not take a fifty meter long fall and hope to survive it unscratched.

Heavily injured and very exhausted, simply happy and not caring how it was that she was still alive. She just managed to slither half a meter and crawl one more before, too weak to continue further and in severe pain from her wounds/burns, utterly spent, she collapsed as darkness slowly took her, then she knew no more.

**And now the continuation:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 <strong>**Survival training 101 - Part 1**

* * *

><p>It was time... time to wake up once again. The real question was...did she really want to?<p>

It was probably for the best...

A day had passed since Destiny had passed out in the wild. At first she simply wanted to sleep; to simply forget about the world, her problems and what had happened. Who could blame her... She had, after all, just experienced a very stressful, not to mention a very painful day. Fortunately however, luckily for her, her body had different ideas.

Somehow realizing that it was not safe; that the potential danger had not yet ended and that death, had not yet been defeated, but had only been delayed for a short while, Destiny's body responded in the only way it could...the only way it knew how:

It responded with...

More pain.

Quickly sending the necessary life saving electrical pulses from brain to nerves, Destiny suddenly felt a sudden influx of new pure raw pain, pain so intense that it was more than enough to push an elephants, not just her own, self preserving consciousness, out of the peaceful romping grounds of blissful ignorant sleep, right back into the not so peaceful and rather painful hunting lands of the living.

Sometimes life...really sucked!

As it was, it was more than enough to 'shoo' away the last few remaining stubborn sheep which had not yet jumped her imaginary gate. All thoughts of falling back into dreamland were then, in turn, quickly discarded by several more quick pokes of the highly effective cattle prod known simply as... pain.

At first Destiny simply lay on the soft grassy ground of the clearing and feebly tried to remember where she was. Then, when that didn't seem to work, when she released she did in fact have no idea what so ever, where she was, she tried to remember why the hell she was in pain in the first place.

It took her a few seconds to remember, but finally, it all came back to her; her encounter with Team Rocket, the ravaging bush fire... right up to her fall into the ravine and the white bright life saving light.

Simply remembering the ordeal was more than enough to cause her to groan dismally.

In the end, simply happy to still be alive... at least for now, she tried to move, to get up, but was almost immediately greeted by another dose of stabbing pain coming from her heavily burned and damaged limbs, limbs which were now stubbornly refusing to co-operate with her, causing her to clench her teeth, hiss in pain and collapse to the ground once again.

There comes a time when the body simply refuses to co-operate anymore. When it says: "What do you want? Can't you see I'm taking a day off? ...and...Try again tomorrow...Damn you!"

This was just one of those moments.

Cursing to herself she lay as still as possible and waited tensely, with tightly gritted teeth, for the pain to subside into a more manageable level, before she slowly, and this time much more cautiously, tried to move and raise herself once more. Only to cry out and fall again a mere second later. Evidently, she realised dismally, she was about to have a long and painful day. A long and painful day indeed!

The next few hours were a slow, stressful and overall painful ordeal. It took many painful minutes and countless tries for her to get somewhat used to the current levels of pain she was feeling and countless more to force herself to simply move first one limb then another.

Many times she collapsed only to get up and try again and at a few points she came very close to actually giving up. However, each time she never fully accepted defeat. It took pure will power to continue...but she did.

Finally, after managing to fully move first one body part, then the next, she was eventually able to accept the pain, just enough to bear it long enough, that she managed to at least crawl. It wasn't easy. Far from it. Moving upright was practically impossible at that moment, hovering...was unthinkable. It was extremely tiring. She was constantly forced to take numerous breaks as she slowly crawled and in some cases slithered, inch by inch, across the hard forest ground. But in the end she prevailed.

She didn't now where she was going. She knew, however, that she couldn't stay where she was, not in her current condition... hurt and weak...out in the open for all the world to see. Easy prey for any half way decent hunter who knew what it was doing. It was almost a miracle in itself that it hadn't already happened. She knew she had to keep moving if she wanted to survive.

Truthfully all she really wanted to do was rest and go back to sleep. However going back to sleep, where she could easily be seen, in her current condition, was like giving up and saying; 'Here I am, I'm already weak, finish me off'.

Definitely not a good idea.

Groaning once again to herself, Destiny expected a wild hungry Pokémon to find her and finish her off at any moment.

Even with her hard metal armour, she was fairly sure she wouldn't last long against another Pokémon. At present she could only clench her teeth and continue to crawl, slowly. Fighting back in her current state was practically unthinkable. Even if she knew how to, which of course she didn't. Even now she still couldn't successfully use a single attack.

In a moment of melancholy, she half heartily joked to herself whether she should actually be viewing the pain she was feeling as a sort of 'training' for the future. After all, if the past week was any indication for her future life; since she didn't seem capable of fighting back, that she seemed to be a trouble magnet... not to mention the fact that she would no doubt be attacked again some time in the future - it was after all a common and normal experience for a Pokémon, human raised or wild -, then it would indeed be in her best interest to get used to 'it'...pain... as soon as possible. Maybe even learn to love it.

'Arceus did say, after all, that I would have a difficult time...at first. Really didn't think it would be like this though.'

Now wasn't that a frighteningly sadistic thought. Destiny didn't really think of herself as being a masochist but... the way things were going... It truly was depressing.

Once again, but not for the last time, she wondered why she ever took Arceus's offer. Sullenly she released she was wondering that a lot lately. That only caused to depress her even more.

* * *

><p>It was during one of her many breaks that Destiny finally decided to take a more thorough look around. She had to find a safe place to stay for the night...and if possible some food to eat. Consciously taking in her surroundings, Destiny suddenly realized, that the forest she was in was very different to the one she had been in a few short minutes ago...and that had nothing to do with the lack of fire or the lack of thugs chasing her. In fact, she was in a completely different place altogether.<p>

Now you might think 'bit deal...a forest is a forest. Isn't it?' Not so for Destiny. Somehow, she didn't understand why or indeed how, but somehow she knew... the trees, for one, were simply... different. They smelt and... even felt different. In fact the whole area... 'felt'...different. There was no way she could fully explain what she was feeling. Destiny didn't understand why this was so. It just was. It was as if her instincts... her very being... that which currently made her...well... her, were telling her that she was in a completely different place.

Then there was the sudden instinctual 'pull' she was suddenly feeling. A pull which seemed to originate from deep inside the earth itself. A magnetic pull, which changed when and wherever she moved. It was small, hardly noticeable...yet she could still easily feel it.

Was this how wild animals always knew their way around and why they never got lost when they migrated each year? she asked herself, surprised, her eyes wide open. Well... besides the different smells of course, she reminded herself.

It was as if the forest...the countryside...the whole planet even, told her where she was. A sort of natural guiding force.

It was a mesmerizing experience for a former city girl. Honestly, she thought. Who needs a GPS (Global Positioning System), when you have a natural MGS (Magnetic Guidance System) curtsey of mother earth herself.

Up until that moment she had never realised it. In fact, she hadn't even noticed it. Up until that moment she had never had a need to realise it. It was only now, now when she needed it...them...the most, in a time of great need, that she for the first time activated and used her birth given Poké-given instincts and senses. It was nearly overwhelming for her. How had she not noticed them until now?

For the first time in her short two lives, Destiny felt truly humbled. Never in a hundred years would she have expected something like this. Humans never knew, never realised just what it was they missed out on as humans. What did that say about humanity when we have to invent what the others already have...just to catch up to them.

It was at that moment that Destiny accepted her new Pokémon body for what it truly was and it was at that moment she took her second major step into becoming a 'true' Pokémon.

The first step had been to familiarize herself with her new body and to activate her animal instincts and senses...

That step, while it did still need practice, and a lot of it, was now complete.

Now... Now she was going to have to learn to use them... learn to trust them...and most importantly... she had to find a way to survive.

On her own.

* * *

><p>So began the first few days of life in the unforgiving, first come first serve, eat or be eaten wilderness of the wild. It was time to learn the harsh facts of life in the wild.<p>

It wasn't a good start.

Far from it.

Crawling feebly along the ground, injured, in pain, Destiny was depressingly well aware of her current level of health. Covered in bruises and burns, it hadn't taken her too long after experiencing her new senses, senses she was only now learning how to use and which were essential for her survival, to fully realize that she could not hope to last much longer the way she currently was.

Somehow, instinctively, she knew she was now running purely on her reserves and had to find a source of food...and water quickly, before it was too late. Preferably a few healing berries...if she could find them. She knew she would need food, food which her body could transform into healing energy, energy which could then, in turn, be used to heal her body.

Easily said...unfortunately not as easily done.

Sure, finding food, in general, is not a problem...in the wild, as a Pokémon, there is plenty. Unfortunately however, what is edible for one animal might not necessarily be edible for another. A fact which Destiny was sure to learn soon enough... the hard way.

The problem was not finding food... the problem was finding a source of food which 'she' could eat...and if she could, finding a source of food which was not protected by another Pokémon or wild mundane animal, stronger than she herself was. Which, as depressing as it was, at that moment, due to her injuries, was practically everybody else. Not to mention that there was also that little, yet highly important problematic fact; that she just might also happen to suddenly find herself as food for others too.

Survival training 101... Lesson one: As said before...not all food is edible...some is down right poisonous. Other food will even try to eat you. Your just as juicy - if not more so - to them, as they would be to you.

That includes plants too by the way...just in case you're wondering.

So! Let's get right down to the basics:

First of all it is important to note that there are two types of animals in the Pokémon world.

They are: Pokémon...and 'The Mundane'.

Finding food, if you're a 'Mundane' is relatively easy... if you're a herbivore that is. It's practically everywhere...unless of course in a desert or in an ice plain. And even then there is usually some sort of 'green stuff' for you to eat.

Mundane carnivores tend to have it a 'little' bit more...challenging, but even they could still easily find fresh meat...well...at least as long as they aren't stupid enough to challenge the local grass type Pokémon...or any Pokémon for that matter.

Important lesson for all mundane...Pokémon will (usually) always win. It is a very important lesson (for the mundane) to learn...and learn quickly. Not all herbivores are easy prey. Whether they are big with large pointy teeth or small with small fluffy bunny ears. A mundane carnivore has to learn real fast that attacking a herbivore Pokémon is a one way ticket to a very painful afternoon... If you survive the experience at all, that is.

Even the weakest Pokémon can take on a strong mundane and win. As it is, in the rare case that a mundane did win - unlikely but it does happen from time to time - they usually find out pretty quickly that it is simply not worth the effort. All Pokémon in general have hard, nearly impenetrable (for the mundane) skin...or worse...armour. For some even on the stomach and other usually 'soft' areas. In certain regions it is actually quite common to see young mundane carnivores with damaged teeth. Those were simply unfortunate enough to take a bite at a fainted Pokémon...such as a rock or metal type Pokémon. Not a good idea to say the least. Add to that the fact that Pokémon, unless mortally wounded or poisoned, tend to recover fairly quickly after a fight, and it is at best very perilous to stay around to eat your hard-fought meal, even if you did win and find a Pokémon which was half way edible.

Mundane animals who don't learn that fact quickly, usually don't have time to learn it later on. After all, only a Pokémon could hope to survive a few thousand volts of electricity - if you were lucky-...or a direct blast of fire at point-blank range - if you were unlucky-...and hope to live to tell the tale... Especially if said Pokémon just happened to catch you taking a bite out of them.

A lot of Pokémon have very long memories... A lot can really hold a grudge... and I don't know about you...but I'd be pretty 'unhappy' about somebody taking a bite out of me. I know I sure as hell would want revenge.

Sometimes it just really sucked being a mundane in the Pokémon world. That's not to say that things were only bad for the mundane... quite the opposite actually.

Much to Destiny's surprise when she found out about it, most Pokémon can only eat specific types of plants, fruits or meats.

Once again, what might be good for one Pokémon, might not necessarily be good for another.

While all mundanes know to stay well away from all Pokémon, (unless you were young, desperate...or stupid) it would interest you to know that they were actually rarely attacked by Pokémon. Yes you heard right... For some strange reason...mundanes tend to taste a little...'unappetizing' to your everyday Pokémon.

Surprised?

Destiny sure was.

Maybe this was natures way of finding a balance...or maybe it was Arceus's idea of a prank. No matter...whatever the reason, fact was...mundane do not taste good to Pokémon.

That's not to say that Pokémon didn't hunt mundane...they did...frequently. For young Pokémon attacking mundane was an easy, low danger way of practicing your hunting/battling skills. Other than that they would do it when they had no other choice. Hunger can be a great motivator at times. Better to eat something with a disgusting taste...than to not eat at all. That said, no Pokémon will willingly eat anything they know they can't digest.

This becomes especially evident to trainers who have to make food for their caught Pokémon.

Survival training 101... Lesson two:

Luckily...and this is an important fact to note, all Pokémon in general can eat Poké-berry's. Some more than others. Pokéfood from the stores made for trainers, to give to their Pokémon, are made primarily from Poké-berry's. These berry's can be easily found practically everywhere in the wild. If you know where to look. Having said that, there may come a time when a trainer does not have Pokéfood available. When this happens it becomes very important to realise that various Pokémon have different needs and are split into five main groups. The majority which go into the first and fourth groups.

**Group 1:** Herbivores - The most common.

**Group 2:** Carnivores - Uncommon to Rare depending on the region.

**Group 3:** Berrivores - Berry Eaters - Common to rare depending on the amount of available berries in a region.

**Group 4:** Omnivores - Quite common but not as common as the Herbivores.

**Group 5:** Spiritual - Uncommon.

Let's take a closer look at each of the groups:

**Herbivores:**, very common,...they are just that; plant eaters. They eat anything which looks green and which is green, even themselves if need be - if you're a grass type Pokémon. Some can eat poisonous plants...but not all. Note: There are some plants which eat meat. Avoid those if you can.

Herbivores are usually quite docile as Pokémon go...unless threatened, in which case please be aware. There is no such thing as a completely 'safe' Pokémon. Even the magikarp is dangerous...after all...it can evolve...

An example of a Herbivore is a Caterpie.

**Carnivores:** Carnivores are usually quite rare in the Pokémon world though some areas like some safari zones, the deep sea, or the extreme wilderness have been known to hold a respectable amount of these dangerous predators. Again self-explanatory, they are pure meat eaters. They do not eat any 'greens' what so ever and depend totally on meat - probably even you if your unlucky. Consequentially they are also some of the most dangerous Pokémon in existence. A carnivores Pokémon would have no problems roasting a T-Rex and eating it, if it met one. And yes, you guessed right... those are the ones you should stay well away from, whenever you can. Unless of course you have a death wish,...you're its trainer,... or if you're an elite trainer out to catch it. If you are, please use extreme caution. If you fail... your usually food!

Examples of Carnivores are... a Gyarados, an Aerodactyl..._or some dragon types. (Hence why it's usually only the elite trainers who usually have dragons)_

_Note: carnivores can still eat Poké-Berry's (not mundane berries)...but it's the only known 'greens' as such that they can eat. Even then it is only certain types, depending on the Pokémon. If given the wrong type they can and will get sick. __And believe me when I say...they won't like you for that._

**Berrivores: **Lovingly called Berrivores because they eat...you guessed it: berries - and this is where it get's important...only berry's. For some strange reason Berrivores can not digest common plants and/or meat like other Pokémon can. It is a mystery which has stumped Pokémon professors for as long as anyone can remember. Don't pity them though...while it's true they can't eat meat or other 'greens'... their inability to eat such food is by no means a disadvantage. Far from it. Berrivores are able to gain a lot more nutrients from Poké-berry's than any other Pokémon, so much so, that one Berrivore can live of a handful of 'Pokémon berry's' for several days, or even a week if need be. Berrivores, depending on the amount of Berry's available in a region, can be either common...or some of the rarest Pokémon in existence. Obviously the more Poké-berries there are in a region, the higher the chance to see a berrivore.

Note: Berrivores, while they can eat mundane berries, tend to prefer the special 'Poké-berry's' ie: Pecha Berries or Chesto Berries etc, which can be found in the wild alongside their mundane counterparts. You will never see a wild berrivore in a berry-less region. Seeing as there are 48 different types of Poké-berries in the Pokéworld, berrivores usually have no problems finding their only source of food, if it's available. It also helps that a pure Berrivore can also smell Poké-berries from several kilometers away. Either way...mundane berries can still be eaten, but they don't give the same amount of nutrients the 'Pokémon berries' do.

An example of a Berrivore is...a Rufflet.

**Omnivores: **Omnivores, are those that eat...well practically everything. Whether it is a plant an animal, a berry...or you. Some, grass types can even live of sun light, though that's quite rare. While a lot of Omnivores are quite friendly and in some cases even social (with humans) there are a lot which would quite gladly eat you, if they had a chance to do so. They are quite common, so found almost everywhere.

Example of Omnivores are... a Scyther or a Primeape

Finally we have the** Spiritual: **Uncommon, depending on the area, these are Pokémon which for obvious reasons have no need to eat anymore...usually ghosts. They don't eat because...well... their dead; Spirits. Please note however that while they don't eat...physical things...only a fool would dismiss them as being harmless. While it's true they won't eat...you, per se,...they can still eat your dreams...and if your unlucky...your soul. So please...don't be a fool...in the end they might well be the most dangerous of them all.

An example of a spiritual Pokémon is practically any ghost Pokémon...such as a Haunter.

Which brings me on to the next and, for now, final lesson.

Survival training 101... Lesson three: Know your danger levels.

Animals, in the Pokémon world, whether mundane or Pokémon are split into several danger levels:

**L** - Split into three tiers of their own...'Low Tier', 'High Tier' and 'Supreme Tier'; Legendary Pokémon are always at the top for obvious reasons... they are after all the strongest and the fiercest Pokémon around. All Legendary Pokémon are automatically given a 'Flee On Sight' warning.

**P** - Pseudo's are as close to a legendary as you can get without actually being one. Called Pseudo's, or false legendaries for a reason, these can be just strong as a weaker 'Base Tier' Legendary Pokémon...though never as strong as a 'High Tier,' or a 'Supreme Teir' legendary. Notice however there is no such thing as a 'weak' Legendary so if you see one...and if you aren't prepared...don't be a fool... RUN! Most Pseudo's are given a 'Flee On Sight warning,' with a select few, 'docile' Pseudo's receiving a 'Engage With Extreme Caution' warning.

**A** - Alpha Pokémon are usually any level 3 evolutionary Pokémon, such as a Charizard or a Blastoise... Engage With Extreme Caution warning.

**B** - Beta class Pokémon are usually any level 2 evolutionary Pokémon such as a Charmeleon or a Warturtle... Engage With Caution warning.

**G** - Green type Pokémon are the lowest Pokémon class such as any level 1 evolutionary Pokémon such as a Charmander or a Squirtle. 'Common Sense Advised' warning. Sounds obvious...Sadly...many trainers don't seem to have that:...common sense.

**E** - Egg... basically any Pokémon still in an egg... 'Caution When Hatching' warning.

**M** - Mundane. Any animal which is not a Pokémon. 'Common Sense Advised' warning.

* * *

><p>Destiny was now in desperate need of food and she knew it.<p>

Trainerless, in an unknown forest...close to death...without a single idea just what she could even eat...

It might shock you to learn that in the wild over 60% of all new-born Pokémon don't survive their first winter... Sometimes that number is even higher. Only the strong survive. It's the way of the wild...it's the way it has always been and it is the way it always will stay... Natures rules apply. Survival of the fittest is the name of the game... and the ante is your life.

Thrown right into the deep end so to speak, starving, extremely thirsty from her previous ordeal and her stressful efforts of the day, suddenly expected to survive against all odds... Destiny instinctively knew that if she didn't get some form of food and water into her soon, then there was a high chance she would soon die. Not just faint - though that would indeed come first - but actually die.

Obviously that was not something she could allow to happen. Not just yet. She had no intention of becoming a ghost type Pokémon any time soon... or worse. So, she spent the rest of the day painfully searching for an edible - for her - source of food. Nothing else mattered at that moment. At that moment she even would have gladly let a trainer...any trainer catch her, if they so happened to stumble across her.

She didn't know what time it was... nor did she care. Time has no real meaning to animals, mundane and Pokémon alike. Well, besides night and day perhaps... And so it was that for the next few hours she continued to search.

It took her a while but finally, at long last, luck seemed to be on her side.

While slowly crawling across the ground, inch by inch and meter by meter, she suddenly came across a nearby stream.

It was a small stream as streams go and it was far from clean, by human standards, but she really didn't care. A stream was a stream. A stream meant water. Water which she now desperately needed. It was hardly more than a few centimeters in width and not very deep, but the sight of the precious liquid alone nearly made her weep in happiness.

Strange how it's only when you need it the most and suddenly don't have it anymore that you fully realise just how privileged you were as a human. Water was something Destiny had always taken for granted. Now...now she was simply glad to have some at all.

With those last few thoughts she dragged herself to the streams edge. Weakly, she let her herself drop, then greedily she took a drink.

* * *

><p>A few minutes had passed since she found the stream. Having just finished quenching her raving thirst, at least for the near foreseeable future, Destiny, now feeling slightly better, though she was still in pain from her many wounds and burns, finally decided that the moment had finally come for her to take care of her second problem... her hunger.<p>

Up until that moment she had always eaten whatever food David had given her. Having always trusted him she had never questioned what it had been. Now however she was suddenly on her own. Now, for the first time, there was nobody around to give her anything. Suddenly she wondered just what it was she could actually eat.

Oh, she knew that some wild animals hunted...and killed for food.

Others simply ate directly what they could find from the ground.

But what was she? Was she a plant eater...or a meat eater? With a pang she realised... she didn't actually know. Oh, she knew she was a Pokéchow eater...but that didn't do much good now, did it?

For a minute or two she lay where she was and tried to remember just what it was she had always eaten. Just what was it that Dave had given her and the others. She didn't actually know. Dave could have given her anything and she would have eaten it. She had never once, even for a second questioned what it was. Just realising this fact frightened her.

Next she thought about the wild animals of her previous life. What would they have eaten. Unfortunately, she did not like the idea of eating any of the two options which came to her mind. She may have finally fully accepted her Pokémon body. But that did not mean she had fully accepted the mentality of one... just the physical part.

Oh, what was she going to do?

She did not like the idea of eating grass. She didn't even know if she could. As a human she had never really liked 'the green stuff' that much. Eating grass took that to a completely different level. One which she just wasn't ready to try yet.

As for the idea of eating meat...well...wild animals ate raw meat... Raw bloody meat to be exact. Uncooked...and most likely dirty, straight from the ground. The thought alone was enough to make her stomach go all queasy. Not that she could hunt in her current state of health anyway. Her prey would probably hunt her instead.

It took her a few seconds but she finally sighed. She realised she had no choice...no matter how difficult it was going to be... It was either that or death.

'When in Rome you do as the Romans do...so now that I am a Pokémon...I guess I will just have to do as the Pokémon would do,' she thought to herself, as she took a deep breath and tried to calm her mind from panicking, not to mention to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to do.

Dismayed and disgusted, sighing to herself, her former human mind battling against her Pokémon mind, she was just about to choose the lesser of the two evils - to eat some grass or leaves...and hope that she was able to do that and not get sick - when she suddenly remembered one important fact and mentally slapped herself. Hard.

'Oh what an idiot I am...of course...Berries,' she thought to herself, cursing herself for her foolishness.

The answer had been all around her the whole time. Hadn't she seen what looked like a berry bush...or was that a tree, a while ago? she asked herself.

After all the games had been full of them...

Berry's had been very useful, while she was playing her old Pokémon games, while she was still a human.

That seemed like a life time ago now.

Since a berry was food and Pokémon in the games ate them, then there was no reason to think that she, being a Pokémon now herself, couldn't eat them too... right?

She would probably have to eat a lot of them to satisfy her raging hunger, but hey...it was a start... and it was better than eating grass. At least she thought so.

That agreed upon, Destiny was now faced with her next problem.

Actually finding them.

* * *

><p>It was another good hour later before Destiny finally found a berry bush, though it was not really a bush... Instead the 'bush' looked more like a small bushy tree.<p>

Destiny was about to rejoice, when all of her happy thoughts suddenly came crashing down and were almost immediately crushed, when she was suddenly faced with the next problem:

Most of the berries, at least in this particular tree, were simply way to high up for her to reach. Even with her large size (for a level 1 Pokémon), she simply wasn't able to reach them.

'Oh come on,' she practically wailed in her mind, miserably. This just wasn't fair. The berries were so close she could smell them. Normally she would have had no problems reaching them... but now... currently she could hardly even touch them.

For the next two hours she feebly tried to reach up far enough to somehow snatch one of them, but her rebelling body just wouldn't let her. She must have looked really pathetic.

Oh, if only she could still hover, she thought miserably. All she could do, in her current condition, was barely lift her body of the ground. Not nearly enough to reach the juicy goodies just above her head.

Depressed, she was just about to give up and cry, when she suddenly heard a sound of something coming from above. Then, just before she could move, she was briefly partially covered by a shadow.

Destiny froze, her heart beat speeding up almost instantly. Cautiously, fearful at what she would find, she glanced upwards. She hoped that it was not something dangerous.

Luckily she need not have worried.

Above her a large bird of some sort had just landed on top of the berry tree. She didn't recognise it, but then she really didn't care what it was at that moment, so long as it didn't think she was food. Thankfully, she soon realised that instead of attacking her, it seemed to ignore her. Clearly it hadn't seen her yet. Or if it had, it simply wasn't interested in her. It certainly didn't look like it was going to attack her any time soon. Something she was very thankful for. Instead, the bird was busy doing something completely different... It was eating berries...

Her berries!

Mouth wide open in horrified disbelief, Destiny could only stare in shock. The bird was eating the same berries she had until that moment so desperately tried to reach.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to curse...but didn't dare to in case the bird changed it's mind and attacked her after all.

All she could do was watch, with hungry teary eyes, as the bird continued to eat her berries right in front...or rather, over her head. The same berries she had, so desperately tried to reach for the past hour.

Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

It took her a few more minutes to calm down enough to think clearly again, after which she took a final look around, to see if she could find any more berries somewhere else. Some which she hadn't seen before. Hopefully, this time some closer to the ground so that she could actually reach them. Alas, it was not to be. She just couldn't find any. At least not anywhere nearby.

Almost instantly she could hear her stomach growling angrily, crying out desperately for the food it so craved, but couldn't get. What could she do. The only eatable food - for her current state of mind - was currently being eaten by the blasted bird. She definitely wasn't going to fight the bird for the berries. At least not in her current condition. So what else could she do?

She was just about to give up and leave... when the unexpected happened.

Unnoticed by Destiny the bird had just dropped one of the berries it had been busy eating just moments before.

Slowly it fell down from the tree, hitting one branch, then the next, until it finally landed on the ground, right beside her, with a soft 'plop'.

Destiny was so surprised that, for the first few seconds, she didn't do anything else but stare at the lone berry with a mesmerized, confused look on her face.

It was fairly large, red and purple. The size of a large apple to be exact. It was by far the largest berry she had ever seen in her two lives. At least she thought it was a berry. It looked more like a pear.

For a minute or two she didn't know what to make of it, she only stared, then, slowly, finally realising what had happened, she started to smile.

Chancing one last quick glance at the bird she quickly noticed that the bird had already flown away. Evidently - or so it seemed - it had not seen the berry fall. Or perhaps it simply hadn't cared. There had, after all, been more berries in the tree.

Whatever the reason. Unwilling to wait any longer, seeing that she was all alone, Destiny quickly started to eat.

Not once did she stop to take a moment to question if the berry was even edible.

It would have been better if she had.

* * *

><p>Unknown to Destiny the bird had indeed seen the berry, but had deliberately let it fall. Even if it had not fallen it would not have eaten the berry anyway, for one very important reason: as it would have made the bird very sick.<p>

The bird had at one time learnt from a past personal painful experience, that this type of berry was not a 'good' berry to eat. It had found that out the hard way when it had still been a young chick.

Needless to say it was not about to make the same mistake twice. Fool it once... well, it was an important learning experience for any young bird to make... and while it had been a painful close call, it had survived and had gained in wisdom. Fool it twice however...then it would have deserved all the misery it got...and more.

Destiny unfortunately had never had the fortunate misfortune of such an experience... having never taken a survival course in any of her two lives...or having never had a Memma (Pokémon name for mother) to learn it from, Destiny simply didn't know any better. And so happened, what just had to happen.

In the Pokémon world there are many types of berries. Most are perfectly 'OK' to eat and would no more harm you than a loving kiss would...well, as long as it wasn't the Pokémon move. In fact, those berries, like the highly cherished Pecha Berry, could and would even cure you from most maladies.

Other berries, however, were not so nice. In fact some were down right nasty.

Think of Poké-berries as mushrooms. Some are edible, while others are inedible. Some make you sick, while others again can kill you...in quite nasty ways I might add.

Take the Death Cap as a classic example. It's as deadly as it's name suggests. People who eat a death cap don't have much longer to live. In fact as good as none if they don't find major medical assistance as soon as possible. Even then, even if they are lucky to get to a hospital soon, within the hour, they only have a slim chance of survival. Dying from a Death Cap is a nasty affair. The victims internal organs start to fail, during which the victim dies a very painful death.

Other mushrooms thankfully only give you a nasty stomach ache, a high fever, a strong case of diarrhea...

...or maybe a strong case of hallucination like the magic mushroom.

Pokémon berries, in general are similar and are put into six main categories:

**Category**** 1:** Edible Berries

These Berries can be eaten with no harm or danger. They taste good and fill you right up. That's about all they are good for though, unless it is to eventually fall to the ground to grow into a new berry tree. Category 1 berries do not have any medical properties.

**Category**** 2**: Inedible Berries

Like the edible sort these berries can be eaten and they won't harm you... except of course, your taste buds. They are called inedible because they, in short, taste like crap. (or close to it)

Category 2 berries might still have the same nutrients as the edible mushrooms but they are usually ignored for obvious reasons. I once heard of a berry which tasted like vomit...and that was before it was found in the vomit.

Unless you absolutely starving...and have a strong stomach...ignore them.

Note: Some Pokémon or animals may like a certain berry while others may not. So in the end it's up to the Pokémon/animal to decide if a berry is edible or inedible.

**Category**** 3:** Harmful Berries

These berries won't kill you, but they sure will make you think they will. If you eat one...be prepared for a painful afternoon with a high fever, a lot of vomiting or a severe case of diarrhea. Needless to say these are best avoided and left alone.

**Category**** 4:** Poisonous/Deadly Berries

Same as the Harmful Berries with the exception that these can and will kill you, instead of simply giving you a severe case of the runs... Avoid at ALL costs. Starvation is not an excuse for idiocy...and there are far nicer ways to kill yourself if your suicidal. STAY AWAY!

**Category**** 5:** Medicinal (medi) Berries

These are the berries which make any Pokémon - or trainer for that matter - smile with delight. Powerful stuff! Edible and VERY healthy. Examples of medicinal berries are the Pecha Berry which cures you from nearly all known poisons...or the Rawst Berry which cures you of any burns... instantly. No joke. You can literally see your burns fade away within seconds after eating a Rawst Berry.

Unfortunately medi-berries are not very common...

In the games medi-berries are grown from berry trees and only one, sometimes two berries are grown per tree, once every day or so. In the Pokémon world however there are no dedicated trees which grow them. Instead, they appear randomly all over the place in random quantities, in any berry bush, or tree, at any time. It's completely random and it's completely impossible to predict or indeed farm/mass produce these type of berries. You may be able to mass produce the berry trees...but not the berries.

Many professors have spend countless years to find out the reason...all have failed.

Finally, Medi-Berries only last for a short while, so collect them and use them quickly whenever you see them. Once picked they can last for several days...if dried they can last for years, however, be warned, if dried, given time, they also run the risk of losing some or even all of their effectiveness. Hence why trainers usually prefer commercial potions since they last much longer and are always 90 - 100% effective.

**Category**** 6:** Contest

Similar to the Medi-berry, these berries are just as random as their 'healthy siblings, however, they do not have any medical powers, instead they are heavily sought after by contest co-ordinators who turn them into Pokéblocks; a type of Poké-candy - which can then be used to improve certain qualities of their Pokémon which are highly valued in Pokémon contests.

In Destinys case, she had the misfortune of eating a category three type berry.

For those of you who whose's eyes just glanced upwards, but didn't find it...that's a Harmful berry.

And so, only one hour later Destiny's life just began to suddenly go from bad to worse.

* * *

><p>It started about an hour after she had eaten the berry. It took her a few minutes to realise it, since she had already been in a lot of pain before it started, but suddenly Destiny began to have severe stomach cramps. Cramps the likes she had never had before. Her former 'monthlies' as a human had never been anything like what she was now feeling. It was much worse. Nothing could have prepared her for it.<p>

Groaning in pain, feeling exceedingly more 'awful' by the hour, Destiny continued to crawl desperately, meter by meter, becoming weaker by the minute, while the cramps were getting stronger and were soon followed by a severe feeling of heat, dizziness and nausea. Then came the vomiting.

Her day had just officially become a living nightmare. Hell on earth if there ever was one. At least she thought so.

Unable to move without feeling great pain and now with an added severe fever, not the mention the urge to vomit every few minutes, Destiny was just about ready to die...for real this time. To welcome a wild predator to 'finish her off'. She'd even welcome it with a pained smile. Anything to make the pain and this dreadful feeling stop.

Fate however, it seemed had other plans and so no wild predator came. With the rest of her strength, which was steadily decreasing by the hour, she only just managed to slither weakly into a near by shady bush, where she finally collapsed and once again, moved no more. Slowly, wondering what deity she had pissed off in what former life to deserve this, she began to drift of, before everything went black once more.

* * *

><p><em><strong>At the same time, somewhere hidden in Kanto.<strong>_

Unknown to Destiny, the same moment she was fighting a seemingly losing battle for her life, somewhere in a hidden place in Kanto somebody else was thinking about her.

The man, known simply as 'The Boss' to his men... or Giovanni to those rare few key people, privileged to know his real name, slowly lowered his hand and carefully placed his expensive, top of the range, high-tech mobile phone, down on a nearby table, before he turned back to look out of a near by window.

Absent-mindedly he turned off a small TV set which, until that moment, had been showing his latest stock updates, before he then reached up to softly scratch the chin of his Persian, a large feline with a large red jewel in the center of its forehead. Quietly, he considered what to do with the newest information he had received a few seconds ago.

Just moments ago two of his best field admins had reported in, telling him about a close encounter they had just experienced not that long ago with a ...'Pokémon of interest,' as they had called it.

At first he had simply nodded and smiled. He had not really expected too much from what he thought was just another boring report. It was fairly late and the only reason why he even decided to listen to them at that moment was because the two admins just happened to be some of his best operatives... members of an elite team known as the Death Hand. Had it been a lower grunt, like those idiots Jessie and James, he would have told them to wait until the morning...or to start praying if their information wasn't important enough. He really hated it when those idiots called, only to tell him about their newest failed heist. It made him so angry...

...But also so sad every time they messed up.

'Jessie and James,' he thought sadly as he briefly glanced over at an old fading photograph, resting on a nearby bookshelf. The picture was one of happier days...of a small group of men and women in expensive white tuxedos, standing around what looked like a far older man, a man who looked somewhat like an older yet different version of Giovanni himself. Said man had his arms around a young woman and a younger Giovanni. On either side of the young Giovanni and the young woman were two younger Jessie and James. Everybody had large happy smiles on their faces.

For a few seconds, it seemed as if Giovanni looked sad as he looked at the picture, almost as if he wanted to cry, but that quickly disappeared when he looked away again mere seconds later.

The only reason why he hadn't kicked them out yet was because of who they were...or rather who they had once been...

Jessie and James, contrary to popular belief, had not always been the two pitiful fumbling idiots they were now,... Oh No! quite the contrary. At one point before 'HE' came along... they had been two of his finest, most respected Executives. Not Admins... but Executives. Even better than the elite group known as the Death Hand.

Close friends of the young Giovanni in the picture, they had just become Executives a few weeks ago when the photograph had been taken. The youngest Executives Team Rocket ever had. They were that good...and two of his best friends too.

That, unfortunately had all changed the moment they lost their memories during that disastrous final battle. Not just their memories...but... that eevee experiment had also turned them back into toddlers too. Their physical bodies.. their memories...their incredible skills...everything...

All gone.

They had never been the same ever since.

The only thing what now remained of the once feared and powerful duo was their legendary perseverance... their incredible ability to take immense amount of punishment and to always come back for more, no matter what, until they finally succeed.

Their battling skills... their absolute ruthlessness... had all but disappeared. And all because of...'HIM'!

Giovanni sighed as he thought back to what had happened.

If you asked Giovanni if there was somebody who he really hated, not just disliked but actually hated, above all others, then it was definitely... 'HIM'.

Back then, back before 'HE' came along, Team Rocket, the one ruled by his father, not the pitiful remnant he now controlled, had been much stronger than the one he ruled today. That had all changed due to the meddling interference of one young boy...

Red! There wasn't a night he didn't curse that name.

The current Team Rocket was a recreation...a weak rebirth of the old Team Rocket his father had once ruled...

RED! He just had to come along... and destroy everything...Years of hard work and planning...all gone because of one meddling child.

How he hated that child...well...man now, but that was beside the point...

Oh! He'd get his revenge some day, somehow. He swore he would... someday.

Ironically, had the boy left it at the destruction of his father empire then Giovanni might actually have been able to accept his fathers defeat for what it had been... a defeat against a better trainer and he might have been able to move on. Red had after all gone on to win every major league there was... to become the ultimate champion that had ever existed since the time of the great Master Indigo... and all without losing a single battle. An unprecedented occurrence with had never been repeated since. He was that good.

Under normal circumstances Giovanni might even have considered it an honour to lose against such an incredibly esteemed trainer.

But then he just had to take 'her' away too...

Once again Giovanni looked back at the old photograph...right at the woman who was laughing beside his younger self before he suddenly stood up, dropping his persian on the the floor, who promptly hissed in annoyance, before he picked up a few poisoned darts from another table, which he then threw, one after the other with deadly accuracy, at a heavily hole punctured picture not far away on another near by wall, scoring 'bulls eyes' with every hit. It was a picture of a young boy with red eyes and a signature Pokémon hat on his head, taken from one of his security cameras all those years ago. The first dart hit right between the boys eyes, the second hit right into the throat, while the third and final dart flew low... right into a particular area between the boys legs.

Turning away from the picture Giovanni sat back down and put his face into his hands.

'Delia'... Why did you leave me for ...'HIM'! he thought in a mixture of anger and sadness.

Clearing his mind with another audible sigh, he looked down at a summary of the report his two admins had given him.

This 'Pokémon of interest'...was quite interesting indeed to say the least.

So 'interesting' in fact that he immediately decided that he just had to have it...whatever it was. Presuming it really was what his admins said it was...a new breed never seen before.

Too bad it had been able to escape his men...but then again, that only showed just how powerful it evidently was. Only a really powerful Pokémon could get away from some of his best... and of course only the most powerful were worth his time.

The Pokémons description alone made him actually feel excited... something he usually only became when he was dealing with, or close to actually capturing a legendary Pokémon.

The legendary Pokémon where after all the only Pokémon which could possibly have a chance to beat...'HIM'. Hence why he wanted them.

Only when he had enough Legendaries would he challenge...'HIM'... Only then he would have his revenge... Only then would he destroy 'HIM'...

Turning to his laptop he quickly opened a certain file... then he began to type:

**Team Rocket International Bounty Bingo**

**Pokémon Name: **Unknown. Temporary designation:X-120

**Rarity: **Presumed New type...rarity extreme, possibly unique.

**Danger Rank: **Unknown. Provisional rank: B to A. Pokémon was fleeing, presumed high (engage with caution)

**Evolution Level:** Unknown (presumed level 1, maybe 2 due to high defensive power)

**Breed: **Presumed Dragon

**Type(s): **Presumed Steel/Dragon type

**Description****: **Black upright snake like body with white diamond on head. Pokémon has small claws at front of body. It is speculated that the Pokémon may be a distant relative to the dragon Pokémon dratini but this has not been confirmed.

**Special notes of interest: **Offensive capability of Pokémon unknown, Presumed high. Defense is extremely high as Pokémon has shown ability to take an extreme amount of damage and keep going even under constant attack from two members of the DH.

Pokémon has shown itself capable of using teleport and has shown an ability of being able to hover. Might be able to fly.

Pokémon has been seen in the company of: David Stone and Ayla Stone, the children of the famous CEO of Stone Inc.

**Bounty issued by: **The Boss.

**Wanted: **Alive and in stable condition only.

**Award(s):**

**If in stable and satisfactory health: **Promotion **or **1 million Poké dollars **or** a personal favour from the boss (within reason)

**With permanent injury but otherwise stable: **10000 Poké-dollars (strongly discouraged)

**Note: **Unstable mental delivery or death will result in an immediate termination. (For those too dumb to understand that means once we find you we'll kill you...and we will find you!)

Those last few words typed in a blood red colour, Giovanni smirked then quickly saved his work. Tomorrow he'd post this to his international Bingo Bounty Book... by the end of the week every rocket member, mercenary and Pokémon hunter would be out looking for it... whatever it was. For now though he would go to bed. It had been a long and stressful day.

* * *

><p><strong>Two days later, a forest near Pallet town.<strong>

The past two days had not been a pleasant experience for a certain black draconic Pokémon as she lay inside a bush. For the past two days Destiny was a very sick Pokémon indeed.

Thinking back on this day years from now Destiny would never fully know just how it was that she had survived that dreadful experience...or indeed just how close she had come to dying...once again.

Had she been healthy before eating the berry she would only have been very sick... and while not pleasant per se, she would have survived after a few days with only an unpleasant memory and a reminder to be more careful in the future. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Due to the fact that she had already been heavily injured and thus already weak beforehand, her immune system, just couldn't handle the added stress on her body anymore. Becoming visually weaker by the hour, her injuries and the berry were now slowly killing her. It as now not a question of if...but a question of when. Her time was slowly, but surely running out... and she knew it.

Drifting in and out of consciousness as her health deteriorated by the hour, Destiny soon went into a state of delirium. In the few brief moments when she was awake, she constantly felt drowsy and disoriented. Then, later, as her health decreased even further, she started to hallucinate as well.

Sometimes she would wake up at random hours and see things...Objects which weren't even there... multicoloured shapes appearing out of nowhere. Other times it would seem as if objects, like trees, or the near by stream would sometimes move around her. Even when she knew it shouldn't have been possible for them to do so.

Needless to say, while she knew that, what she was seeing wasn't real, it didn't help her nerves much. Few sick Pokémon...or animals in general survived in the wild if they were sick to that degree. Even less if you were an injured sick Pokémon. Especially not if you became sick enough to see things. Seeing things that weren't there was not a good thing if you wanted to survive. In short it really stressed her out and that stress in turn further decreased her health even more. Destiny fully expected her 'journey' ...or task, given to her from Arceus, to end at any moment... in failure.

As she lay inside her bush, dying, already half dead, she fully expected a wild hungry Pokémon, or mundane to find her and eat her at any moment.

Accepting the fact that her end had come, Destiny began to close her eyes for the last time, then, a few minutes later she fainted... her heart began to slow down... slowly it began to stop. It seemed her end was near.

Luckily however, unknown to her, Destiny's time to go to her 'next' great adventure had not yet come. Had she been anybody else, Destiny probably would have died that day. 'Destiny,' however, had different plans for Destiny and was not about to let Fate disrupt Destiny's destined destiny.

And so it was that Destiny's proverbial knight in shining armour arrived to, once again, save the damsel in distress... at the very last few seconds of Destiny's second life.

::Mew!:: said Mew as she appeared in a flash of pink light just meters away from Destiny's half dead body.

The knight had arrived...the knight was pink... The knight looked down at Destiny's body with wide eyes...

::MEW!:: (Oh shit!)

The knight was...

...Late!

* * *

><p>AN:

This story takes place 12 - 14 years or so after the game and several months before Ash starts his own journey.

As such Red and Ash are not the same person.

The next chapter will see the end of the Survival arc of the story. Then in the next after that Destiny will finally meet up with Ash.


	11. Survival Training 101 - Part 2

**Chapter edited on: 19/October/2013**

* * *

><p><strong>Warning:<strong> Chapter includes an ability which may seem godlike to some... I'll make it short: "I don't care!" I love godlike abilities... :-P

**On another note:** This chapter was a... 100% b**** to write. Writers block for most of it (even though I had everything planned out step by step) The sentences just refused to come without a few red hot glowing pitchforks poking them alone... (I promise I made then extra hot) ;-)

I lost count of the countless hours I wasted going back over the same few stupid sentences again and again...multiple times in different locations. It nearly drove me nuts. Any authors among you will no doubt sympathize with me about this. Writers block might just be worse than paper work... It's a curse. Believe it!

Anyway...I hope you like it...then I can at least say the few new grey hairs I suddenly have have been worth it.

Now...On with the show:

* * *

><p><strong>Survival Training 101 - Part 2<strong>

**Previously on Paradox:**

Accepting the fact that her end had come, Destiny began to close her eyes for the last time, then, a few minutes later she fainted... her heart began to slow down... slowly it began to stop. It seemed her end was near.

Luckily however, unknown to her, Destiny's time to go to her 'next' great adventure had not yet come. Had she been anybody else, Destiny probably would have died that day. 'Destiny,' however, had different plans for Destiny and was not about to let Fate disrupt Destiny's destined destiny. Not just yet.

And so it was that Destiny's proverbial knight in shinning armour arrived to, once again, save the damsel in distress... at the very last few seconds of Destiny's second life.

::Mew!:: said Mew as she appeared in a flash of pink light just meters away from Destiny's half dead body.

The knight had arrived...the knight was pink... The knight looked down at Destiny's body with wide eyes...

::MEW!:: (Oh shit!)

The knight was...

...Late!

**And now the continuation:**

* * *

><p>The situation was dire.<p>

Not just dire, but worse than dire. Much worse. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say it was a full blown disaster. A worst case scenario if ever their was one.

Mew, the legendary bipidal cat Pokémon was in deep trouble and she knew it.

It didn't matter that she had only just arrived or that she had tried to arrive as soon as Poké-possible,... even going so far as to grudgingly forego her usual mandatory sightseeing stops (something she 'usually' never missed)...or that it couldn't possibly be her fault...

No!... Fact was; her charge; the Pokémon in front of her, the one which she had sworn to protect at all costs - if need be even with her own life - was mortally sick... dying... or worse, probably already dead.

It didn't even matter that she was 'Mew'; the 'Mirage Pokémon,' one of the 'Big Five,' the 'Mother of all Pokémon,' a Supreme Tear legendary and the fifth Pokémon ever created... right after the 'Diety Four'; Dialga - The Lord of Time, Pialka - The Lord of Space, Giratini - The Lady of Antimatter, chaos and that which is known as the distortion world...and of course the father to them all...the god and creator of all, - At least of the Pokémon world - Arceus.

In short...if she couldn't save the V.I.P. (Very Important Pokémon) in front of her...then she - and everybody else for that matter - was well and truly fucked.

* * *

><p>When Mew arrived in the forest she did not expect to find her charge half dead...dying in a near by bush.<p>

Yes...she had indeed expected her to have problems... problems adjusting to her new environment; the usual finding food in a new environment, running way from trainers, or picking fights against the locals savages sort of problems...but to actually find her in such a terrible, pitiful state! Dying in a bush!

Inconceivable!

Or at the very least, highly improbable.

Alas... the old rule just had to show its ugly self once again; No matter how improbable something may seem, never ever say nay never, as even then, even when all odds are on your side, no matter how unlikely it may seem, it might still somehow manage to come and bite you in the ass. Quite literally sometimes. And this was directly the very situation Mew was now facing.

* * *

><p>Mew realised almost immediately that Destiny was sick...mortally sick... poisoned to be exact. Something which was incredible and improbable all in its own right, as it was extremely rare for a steel type Pokémon like Destiny to get poisoned.<p>

A steel types body is usually highly resistant...in most cases even immune, against poison attacks. Depending on the poison, over 98% of all poison type attacks usually don't harm them at all. In fact, usually the only way to poison a steel type is by ingestion of the poison - thereby transferring it directly into the body, bypassing the steel types defenses - or in extreme cases, by attacking them when they are already extremely weakened.

It was only then, only when a steel types natural advanced immune system was weakened enough, like after a long and merciless battle, that a steel type Pokémon could actually be poisoned. Even then it was a difficult thing to do with a mere 10% chance of happening.

As it was... anybody with even the smallest amount of common sense could have figured out that Destiny wasn't feeling too good at that moment, simply by looking at her.

Her swollen eyes, her sickly puce coloured skin, her sweaty fevered face and body... her shallow and gradually decreasing failing breaths...

...The fact that she was lying beside and even in a pool of sick... obviously her own and too weak to move out of it...

Needless to say, it was more than enough to tell even the dumbest idiot, that, 'yes,' this Pokémon was not feeling well and 'yes,' it was probably already knocking on deaths door, wondering were the tardy reaper was and waiting for the shiny gates to open.

So! That was no problem, least of all for Mew who had practically already seen it, all at some stage or another...

What she did not know however was, just how badly her charge was poisoned and thus, just how much time she had left, if any at all, to save her charges - and thereby her own - sorry behinds. Just how long did she have before those shiny gates opened... and just how the hell should she actually save her?...

Not a situation a bodyguard, like Mew, would ever want to find herself in.

Quickly checking Destiny's vitals in a way only a Pokémon could, Mew swore heavily when she realised that they were steadily decreasing.

Sweat falling from her brow, unable to think clearly in her haste, wide eyed and nearly panicking, realising with a pang that she might only have mere seconds left to save the day, Mew tried desperately to think of a way to save her charge...but couldn't come up with anything.

For a moment she thought about teleporting away to find some Pecha berries and to somehow force feed them to the sick Pokémon before her...but realised she didn't know where the nearest berry bush was. She was after all no Berrivore and as such couldn't smell them from miles away.

Then she thought about teleporting herself straight into a Pokémart to plunder...er... retrieve a 'Full Heal'...or better yet a 'Full Restore'... or maybe even a 'Full Revive'... it was after all an emergency.

She even thought about teleporting to the nearest trainer, to ask them to capture Destiny in a Pokéball, since being in a ball usually stops the poisons progress and thus stops a poisoned or seriously hurt Pokémon from dying, but again she realised she simply didn't have enough time anymore for that either, never mind that she had no idea how to effectively use a Pokémart item...or how to stop a trainer from trying to capture 'her,' instead. Trainers always caught first, then asked questions later when it came to Legendaries like herself. By then it would be too late. Of course...that was if they didn't run first. Legendaries had, after all, default flee on sight orders... so...it probably wouldn't have worked anyway.

It was only during Destiny's last few breaths that Mew had a sudden brainwave. She only hoped she was not too late.

She really didn't like what she was about to do... In fact she down right hated it. But desperate times called for desperate measures... and this definitely was a desperate moment.

Had Mew been any other Pokémon she probably would have failed miserably. But she was not just any Pokémon, but a legendary. Not just any legendary, but the legendary Mew. Not just any Mew but the 'original' first Mew... not one of her offspring. A Pokémon who knew...and could use nearly all moves in existence. Moves like Recover; which could be used to heal oneself, but not another... A move like 'Heal Pulse'; a rare move which would heal yourself **or** another...

Or...

... and this was the part she didn't like...

...she could use a move called: 'Healing Wish'.

Healing Wish, is a very rare healing move, known only to very few select Pokemon, Mew being one of them.

It, much like it's more dangerous cousin; the aura transfer, -which is not, in fact, a move; but an Aura Technique- causes the user to faint for a short while...but in return, it fully heals another's Health and Status.

The aura transfer, in comparison, is a very difficult, very dangerous aura technique everybody can attempt, but only the strongest can use with any real hope of success. Usually only known by the legendaries and a few aura specializing Pokemon (like the Lucario) -as only they had the powers or the instinct to use it effectively- it is when the users aura, its very life-force, is transferred to directly heal a dieing pokemon or other living being. If used too much, or incorrectly, it can kill both; the healer and the to-be-healed, since while the transfer is in progress both life-forces are temporarily connected to each others..

The 'Wish', however, is not an aura technique, but a healing 'move' which does not have the added chance of killing the performer...which in turn would also kills the other, if it fails.

In short... much like the 'Transfer,' it is a last resort move which heals... everything, no matter how badly damaged or how badly poisoned, in exchange for your own energy.

And so it was, at Destiny's very last two breaths, that Mew, out of complete desperation, blasted Destiny with the strongest Healing Wish' she could manage.

It hit Destiny just as her heart began to stop. At the very last second of her life.

* * *

><p>They say fortune favours the bold...<p>

Others might even go as far as to say that fortune favours the stupid...

In Destiny's case however, it was not the bold that was saved by fortune... it was the stupid who saved the lucky.

They say panic decreases logic and the ability to keep a clear mind... In Mews case that may well have been true.

For you see, not once, had Mew considered to simply teleport Destiny in front of the local Nurse Joy in the nearest Pokémon Center, or indeed Professor Oak in Pallet Town, and let the good nurse or doctor take care of Destiny her/himself.

Not once had Mew considered, even for a second, that her Healing Wish, might not actually work, as it was only meant to be used on an awake Pokémon...and not on one which had already fainted.

Destiny for one, was out cold.

There is a reason why a potion is never given to a fainted Pokémon. It isn't given because; while the Pokémon is fainted, it won't work.

For some reason a fainted Pokémon's body nearly shuts down whenever the Pokémon faints. It does so to give the Pokémon a better chance to survive, leaving only the most vital body functions active which it absolutely needs to survive, thereby also increasing the bodies regenerative ability, while it works on healing the Pokémon's damaged body (or at least to slow down the cause of death). During this time it is absolutely crucial to protect the fainted Pokémon from further injury as any more damage can kill it.

A normal potion would do no more good for the Pokémon during this time than a loving kiss would. Only a Revive or a Full Revive has the ability to awaken a fainted Pokémon prematurely... sort of like what smelling salts would do for a human. Smelling salts however have no effect what so ever on a pokemon, other to give them massive headaches.

Normally a 'Healing Wish' would have healed the benefiting Pokémon within a few seconds. Normally of course, that Pokémon would have been awake and not fainted and so would have been able to make full use of the wish.

Unfortunately for Destiny that was not the case.

Had Mew revived Destiny somehow 'before' using Healing Wish, Destiny would have been fully healed and made a full recovery within seconds.

Indeed, had Mew instead chosen to perform an Aura Transfer, she could also have saved Destiny, fully healing her... even if she would have also risked herself and Destiny dieing from the transfer.

Mew however used neither.

And so, had it not been for a mere fluke of nature, she would not have survived.

* * *

><p>At the very moment Destiny's heart beat for the very last time, Mew fainted and her Healing Wish began to take effect.<p>

Saved by a wish...or rather by the self sacrifice of a legendary bodyguard known as Mew... The direct moment Mew fainted, Destiny began to heal, aided by the effects of the Healing Wish...

...for one single second.

For one single second the Healing Wish was able to halt the poisons progress and help heal Destiny's body, before it promptly lost its effect due to the fact that the Pokémon it was used on had fainted.

For one single second Destiny's body was aided just enough that her body could divert its attention away from healing itself and look for a solution to its problem.

For a body...any body, a second could just as well have been an eternity. It was all the time it needed.

Had Destiny been any other Pokémon that single second wouldn't have made a difference; The wish would have failed and she would have died shortly thereafter.

However, by a fluke of nature, this one second was all Destiny's Pokémon body needed to activate one of its hidden abilities, an ability unique to its species...and only its species, just at the very second she 'died'.

Unknown to Destiny and Mew, Destiny's body had one last 'Ace' left to play. A fail safe put there by Arceus himself for just such a situation.

It is important to note that every Pokémon has extra abilities. Some are hidden, waiting centuries for the right moment to activate...if they activate at all. Others, like the ability to Levitate, are available from the moment of the Pokémons birth and can be used at any time. Some Pokémon have more abilities than others, and no Pokémon is directly the same as another. Destiny, because of what she is, was given quite a few secret abilities to help her along with her task.

This was one of them.

Needing a near death experience to activate - and only a near death experience - a hidden ability, exclusive solely to Destiny's new Pokémon species awakened, right when it was desperately needed. Far earlier than anybody, Arceus included, could ever have foreseen.

* * *

><p>A Phoenix's Rebirth.<p>

As beautiful as it is frightening... There was no other way to describe it. Had anybody decided to take a walk in the forest that day, they would have witnessed a spectacular event.

The moment Mew fainted, Destiny's body froze. For a few seconds everything was deathly quiet. Nothing dared make a sound. Then, just as all hope seemed lost, the immediate area suddenly started to smoke. Suddenly Destiny's steel body began to glow red hot. It was as if it had been in a furnace for hours, instantly burning everything it came in contact with, the very air around it included.

Unable to withstand the sudden heat, the bush Destiny was lying in and the vegetation all around her shriveled up and burned. A nearby stream started to hiss as its water evaporated at an alarming rate. It did not take long before the immediate area had dried up. The whole area began to grow hotter and hotter by the second and soon, what seemed like red hot flames, began to multiply and travel all over Destiny's body until it fully covered her, from head to claw and from claw to tail. No part of her body was left uncovered.

For a few seconds the fire simply sat and sparkled merrily on Destiny's glowing red hot steel hide, then, in a sudden rushing inferno, the whole area was suddenly illuminated, as a ten meter high towering pillar of fire lit up, enveloping destiny's steel body and instantly vaporizing everything around it in a three meter radius wide circle of destruction. Mew, as sheer luck would have it, was luckily just barely outside of the influence of the blazing inferno, which had once been her charge, and so was 'relatively' untouched by the burning super hot flames. That said, had she been awake she would no doubt have been very uncomfortable and most likely screaming in agony from being so close to the heat. It would take a Rawst Berry and a quick Recover to heal her when she woke up later on from the second degree burns inflicted to her body from the agonising heat.

For half a minute or more the mystical pillar of near plasma hot fire towered above the tallest tree, twisting and turning wildly, instantly disintegrating everything it came in contact with, but never moving an inch away from where it had erupted, before with another flash, it disappeared just as suddenly as it had come, leaving nothing but a six meter wide circle of scorched earth... including an exhausted sleeping form of a now otherwise miraculously fully healed...and incidentally now completely immune towards all types of fire attacks - another effect of her special ability - steel-dragon type Pokémon behind.

For another second all was quiet, then multiple trees which had been too close to the inferno, collapsed, with multiple crashes, all around them, before the last few flames died down and all was quiet once more. It took several more seconds for the nearby stream to regain it's lost fluid before it was back to normal.

No creature, mundane Pokémon alike would dare come close to the area for several weeks. By the time the local Poké-ranger came to check up on the area weeks later, a fully healed Destiny and an equally refreshed Mew would be long gone.

* * *

><p><strong><em>At that very moment, not that far away, travelling on a road towards Pallet town.<em>**

While Destiny was having a rather personal fiery near death like experience á la phoenix, not far away, on a small country road on the outskirts of the same forest, a small group of travellers were slowly making their way back towards their home town; the near by town of Pallet.

This small group of people of six were the newest batch of graduates of the week long 'K-POKé'; the **K**anto - **P**okémon **O**ccupational **K**ey-level **E**xamination for new trainers, who were currently returning home after attempting - and in most cases passing - the latest exam in Cerulean City.

The POKé exam is something which many young people in the Pokémon world strive for, from the time they can walk and talk to the time they sit their final Poké exam.

This exam is very important for all new trainers as it is when all new potential trainers finally get their official trainers licenses...if they pass that is.

Those who don't pass the exam can always try again next year (there is no cut off year)...or drop out to live normal lives as 'normal' civilians.

It is important to note that; being a 'civilian' does not mean you can't live with, be friendly to, or indeed use Pokémon... That would be cruel. Not to mention nearly impossible to enforce. You are however limited to two Pokémon maximum, you may not breed them (as an occupation), Pokémon centers are not free, you don't have a discount for certain Pokémon attractions or exhibitions, items in Pokémarts tend to cost a bit more... and you do not get any Pokémon related grants or funding from the government.

Strangely enough, while you may not be permitted to start a Pokémon battle, if unsupervised, unqualified trainers may indeed challenge or accept battles, if supervised by a qualified trainer. Seeing as every trainer has a licence and is therefore qualified, this automatically means the only people 'civilians' can not battle against are other civilians...and then only if unsupervised.

Two of this years returning group were two promising new trainers known as; Gary Oak, the rather arrogant ten year old grandson of the famous Pokémon Professor and expert in most things Pokémon; Professor Samual Oak and another trainer known simply as Ash Ketshum...the also ten year old, but not so well known and rather immature self proclaimed rival of the former.

Ash - the immature one - a short black haired boy who was currently wearing a white and blue jacket and blue pants along with a pair of black and white shoes had just attended and 'finally' passed his POKé Exam...

Well... OK!... He barely passed it with a minimum passing grade. Still, he finally managed to pass it and so did not have his usual gloomy face, like the one he had for the past few years where, unlike this year, his attempts had unfortunately not been successful.

Gary, a somewhat snobbish brown haired boy with a blue jumper, black pants and what looked like half a Pokéball as a pendent around his neck on the other hand, had passed his exam with a respectable 98%... Two years go, on his first attempt. Something which he had been quite peeved about as he had really wanted the full 100.

That's not to say that his rival was stupid...far from it...Ash just never planned ahead, was generally reckless...and he really hated studying (not learning) unlike Gary who generally aced all of his exams and could think of several ways to win 'most' battles, much to Ash's extreme ire as he usually lost every battle when battling against Gary. Something which Gary never let him forget.

On the other hand... One area where Ash did excel in however was reacting well under pressure. While his book smarts and his strategy were sub par at best, he rarely lost his head during a difficult battle, or indeed a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, for Ash, having a clear head didn't do you much good if you still didn't know what to do in the first place.

Another area where Ash excelled was his ability to interact with 'most' Pokémon, this time much to Gary's extreme ire. It was a well known fact in Pallet Town, a fact which really irked the studious member of the duo. While Pokémon generally liked Ash and generally, bar a few exceptions, got along easily with him... (as long as they could look past his immature nature and the fact that he usually lost against a certain studious trainer) they barely tolerated Gary at the best of times. In fact, were it not for the Pokéballs ability to control captured Pokémon, Gary might not have been as successful as he was.

Whatever the case, what one trainer had with skill and book smarts the other made up with empathy, kindness and the innate ability to understand Pokémon even if he could not exactly understand what they were saying. Something about Ash simply made the Pokémon trust him. In the few rare circumstances when the two boys were forced to work together, - something which rarely happened - Ash and Gary were a true force to be reckoned with. It was a rare occurrence,... but whenever both rivals were on the same side, they were a true force, a force which usually never lost a single battle. Well...at least against their childhood pals, or the other inhabitants of pallet town.

Both boys were enjoying the walk back home and admiring the countryside around them. Ash was just defending himself from Gary who was teasing him about a certain girl he had met in the exams, when they were suddenly told to shut up by the groups group leader and guide, an experienced twenty one year old trainer named Marvin who had been chosen by Professor Oak to escort the group to and from the exam.

"Gary! Ash! Both of you shut up and hurry up! Something big is happening in the woods over there and it's not safe for us to stay around here," Marvin said as he looked with slight worry towards the towering form of the 'Phoenix fire' deep in the forest, from his vantage point on the small hill they were currently travelling on. The flames were larger than most trees of the area so not difficult to see.

Both boys and the others of their group looked over to where Marvin was pointing and quite a few whistled at the amazing sight.

"I realise all of you are now official trainers, but that does not mean you can fool around, especially not when none of you even have your official starters yet," Marvin continued to say, as he tried to get everybody moving again. In retrospect, it might have been better had he had not said anything at all, as by telling the others to hurry up, he had inadvertently made them slow down to take a look instead.

"What could it be?" half asked half stated another member of the group, this time a young ten year old girl named Clarissa who had green eyes, long brown hair and wore a red-greenish top with a brown skirt which went to her knees.

"Don't know...but by the size of the flames and the amount of time it can keep the flames going, whatever it is must be at least an Alpha Level Pokémon on the danger scale...if not something higher," Marvin replied somewhat nervously. An 'A' type Pokémon was not something he could afford to - nor indeed wanted to - deal with right now...not with so many rookie Pokémon-less trainers with him. A Pokémon who could create such flames could be extremely dangerous and usually had an extreme caution notice at minimum. His little group of relatively defenseless rookies wouldn't have a chance against something of that level of Poké-power. At least not at this time.

Luckily for him the flames soon died down shortly thereafter, which quickly caused the group to loose interest at what it could have been. None of the trainers held any delusions of grandeur that they could have captured it...whatever it was...at least not yet. Two however took a while longer to tear their eyes away from where the fire had once been.

Both vowed to train hard so that they could one day be strong enough to actually catch a Pokémon of such strength...and not have to walk away from it like they had to do just now.

After all...for Ash and Gary, nothing but the best would do... and to catch the best...you have to be the best. Someday they would be able to...but not now.

Taking one last longing look at the area where the flames had once been, both shrugged then continued to walk again, quickly catching up to the rest of the group. Neither of them suspected even for a second that such a moment would come sooner than either of them could possibly realise.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Several weeks later. Somewhere in the wilderness of the forests near Pallet Town.<em>**

Several weeks had come and gone since Destiny's fiery rebirth and miraculous escape from the jaws of an early death. Life - as we know it - had slowly continued on, second by second and minute by minute. Destiny however, knew none of it. In fact one would not have been wrong in saying: Destiny had lost all sense of time.

Not that she really cared about that though. She had much larger worries to worry about than something as insignificant as time.

Time? Who cares about time! Time is a man made nuisance, used primarily to control and hurry people up and cause stress in their daily lives. It has no real meaning to a wild animal or a Pokémon. A wild trainerless Pokémon which she now was.

Destiny now lived her days by the position of the sun or the slowly decreasing shadows of the next approaching night. The only 'time' worth knowing for her now was whether it was night or day, or whether it was time to find more food because her stomach was rumbling again. Not the minutes or the hours of a unimportant and annoying clock. Hours wouldn't fill her stomach, they only emptied it. Hence they were worthless to her and utterly unwanted.

Truthfully she wouldn't even have cared about whether it was night time or day time, were it not for the important fact that it was generally safer during the day, than it was during the night. Not only did you have a better chance to see the enemy coming during the day...there was also the fact that the more dangerous predators usually came out at night. She had learned that lesson the hard and fairly painful way and had only survived because of her near impervious - to normal attacks - steel armour and a lucky escape. Something which she was eternally grateful for. She now had a small scar and a fairly large tooth stuck in her hide. Souvenirs of her latest encounter. Souvenirs which could take years to grow out and disappear without human help... If they ever did.

Her largest problem however was and still remained the same: Her hunger.

When in the wild nothing is more annoying or important than your next meal.

One could argue that safety comes first...but that's not really true. Yes, safety is great, especially when you want to sleep, or when you have a bunch of little ones to worry about, but safety is fairly unimportant if your starving...or already dead because of it. The longer you wait the weaker you get. The weaker you get the less likely you, or your young, are to see the next day. In the end it may well become a blessing to become a thankful meal for somebody else, somebody in the same situation as yourself, rather than to waste away in agony, unable to move because you're to weak to do so and unable to help your crying offspring, as you wait for death to finally claim you. It would be painful...yes...no doubt it would be, when the predator takes a bite out of your hide, but at least then it would be over...and if your lucky...quick too.

Survival of the fittest... Eat or be eaten. Just two of the many laws of the wild.

Currently it was that time of day again; her hunger had returned once more, just like every other day and she was once again looking for food. Nothing else was more important at that moment. Just her ever annoying stomach which was once again screaming...or rather rumbling for something...edible to eat. Very important... it had to be something edible, she reminded herself once again. She did not want a relapse of her first attempt.

A lot had happened since she had woken up all those weeks ago. While exploring the immediate area she had somehow found a nearby cave about twenty kilometers away from the 'Phoenix Site' as she now called it, deeper into the forest.

After reassuring herself that it had no other hungry inhabitants - mice, rats, spiders, bats...even mundane snakes, or other similar harmless residents didn't count - Destiny had quite happily settled into it. It was dry... and since she was now a Pokémon, she had no problems about staying warm either. Her Arceus given Poké-birthday suit was all she would ever need in that regard...though she would miss the shopping.

Finding a near by stream, and therefore a water supply, was also fairly easy. There were multiple streams all over the forest...not to mention a fairly large lake. Though Pokémon usually tended to stay away from the lake as it was fairly close to a human made path. One which was frequently used by countless humans who constantly traveled through the forest.

Destiny had no desire to be caught by another human any time soon, so she usually stayed well away from that lake. Only one human would ever be allowed to capture her again if she had anything to say about it...and she hadn't seen him yet.

Getting to know the local inhabitants; finding out which ones were dangerous, which ones were friendly enough to approach and which ones found you juicy and would attempt to eat you, was troublesome and often quite dangerous. But that was relatively easy when compared to finding out what the hell she could actually eat.

It's easy to know who wants to eat you when their hunting you and your fleeing from them. Even a fool... or a mentally challenged slowpoke would know that.

It's not so easy when it's you who is doing the hunting though...

Scouting the area for the nearest food sources, i.e. berry bushes was probably one of the most troublesome things she ever had to do in both of her lives. She wasn't going to hunt anything herself any time soon, berry's, nuts and fruit were the only things she could think of eating, she had even tried to eat grass, but that had not ended well. It seemed even as a Pokémon she still wasn't able to eat the readily available green grass of the wild.

Known berry bushes - those few which usually always had a ready supply of berries every year - were constantly protected with the utmost jealousy by the local inhabitants, usually by a flock of spearows...or if really unlucky a fearow... or worse.

Competing against the local bird population was one of the most troublesome...not to mention dangerous things she had to do so far on a daily basis. She had learned quickly of their fierce short fused temper during her first attempt. It really didn't take much to annoy and consequentially get attacked by a spearow. Just looking at them was sometimes enough to have one attack you. Attacking it back was tantamount to a declaration of war by the little buggers and having the whole flock come after you for revenge later on was not something you wanted, if you could avoid it. Far better and much less troublesome to just retreat. It may seem cowardly...but one does not live long, let's not even talk about grow old, by doing stupid things. In fact, she had nearly died...again for her lesson when she had unknowingly approched a berry bush protected by a flock of spearow.

Aggressive, militaristic, easily angered bullies the whole lot of them.

Once again it was her steel armour which had saved her life from a rather painful death. Death by being pecked. Not how she wanted to leave the world. The beaks of a mundane bird may not be able to do a thing to a steel Pokémon...a Pokémons beak however, like that of a spearow is an entirely different matter altogether. It may take a while, but if given enough time, a bird Pokémon could very well peck through a ten meter thick plank of pure steel. As it was, she was not looking for a repeat of the experience any time soon...if ever. The other Pokémon and mundane in the area stayed well away from them and so would she. Life was hard...and dangerous enough already without those pesky birds adding to it. Quite frankly, the less life threatening situations she had, the better. As it was, she had way to many of them already and it is was nothing short of a full blown miracle that she was alive at all. Luckily her steel protective hide was able to fully regenerate itself after a few short hours. She didn't know, nor did she care how that happened. She was simply glad it had..and that it could.

Even now, looking back several weeks after waking up alone in that 'scorched earth' part of the wood, she was fairly certain she should have already died. As weak and injured as she had been at the time and as sick as she had felt, in was nothing short of a miracle that she had survived. She was almost certain that she had been too far gone to recover. In fact, come to think of it, for a while she had even wished for it...'death'... to happen, near what she had once thought was her end. So why?...How?...

Not that she had anything against the fact that she was still among the living... On the contrary she was glad... however... How was it that she was still alive?

Imagine her surprise when she had woken up, alone, stronger than ever, without a single scratch on her. Even her hunger had mysteriously disappeared for a short while and had only returned a day later.

As if that had not been enough... also surprising was the area she had woken up in. Destiny could not remember having been in a fight at the time. Other than the internal and mental one of course. In fact, she was certain she had not been able to. So why had the immediate area around her been a scorched wasteland?

Then again, for all he knew she could have indeed been in a fight, she reasoned with herself. A fight she couldn't remember probably due to her mental state of delirium at the time. She had after all been seeing things... For all she knew she might have, without realising it, used an attack for some sort... without meaning to even use one. But seriously, she didn't know how..or even if that was possible. As far as she knew she still couldn't use a single attack...

Actually...that wasn't completely true, she reminded herself. She could indeed use attacks...she just always messed them up. It wouldn't be too far fetched that she could have inadvertently used an attack of some sort without realising it.

No matter. As it was, some how she had been given a second chance, for better or worse and she wasn't going to waste it, if she could help it. Whatever had happened, it didn't matter right now. For now she had different problems. And her current problem was once again...food. Or rather how to get some.

Remembering her lessons of the past few weeks - at least she thought they were weeks, she cleared her mind and turned her attention back to a near by berry tree.

Quickly, checking twice for anybody who could be nearby - especially a spearow - and deciding that the immediate area was 'safe' to approach, she cautiously hovered over and inspected the tree's berries...

* * *

><p><strong>At that very moment.<strong>

At the direct moment Destiny was inspecting the berry bush, unknown to her, Mew was also nearby, hidden in the shadows, secretly keeping an eye on her charge.

It had been a fairly difficult few weeks for Destiny's secret pink legendary turned bodyguard. Looking after the black and white steel dragon had proved itself quite a chore.

Mew just couldn't understand how a Pokémon...any Pokémon for that matter, could have so few survival skills... or general survival know-how at all. It was embarrassing...for a Pokémon.

Seriously...a few sun cycles ago her charge had known practically nothing about surviving in the wild... zippo... zilch...nadda. You name it. Nothing! It was a wonder that she even had the most basic skills needed to survive at all.

Mew lost count how many times she had to step in to stop a predator from attacking her... or to somehow stop her from entering a particular dangerous area controlled by the nearby militaristic fearows and their underlings, the spearows. All without letting her know she was even there. Even then, she hadn't managed to protect her from all of them. Luckily nothing serious had happened.

Or how about the time she had to teleport a pecha berry right into her charges mouth while she was chewing on a poisonous berry. That really made her day. If it were possible Mew was sure she would have a few permanent hand prints on her own face by now...from face palming. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

It would have been so much easier if she could just have let her see her... It would be so much safer...not to mention logical to train her, rather than simply watch her.

Alas, Arceus had given her explicit orders not be be seen by her charge, if at all possible. She still didn't understand why not, but... Oh well, orders were orders. Arceus...'usually' knew best.

Seriously though... how stupid can you get. Didn't anybody ever tell her to check first before eating something? At the very least she could have watched and copied some of the other Pokémon - or mundane even. If she had copied the actions of the others and ate what they ate... Well, at least then it would have been an understandable mistake. But to simply eat first, then get poisoned later... inexcusable.

Yes, it may have been slightly amusing to see her up-choke some grass... or to watch when she lost her balance and fell head first into the near by lake while trying to reach a berry in a berry tree, that was really amusing. But seriously, what had Arceus's in his wisdom been thinking. Did he really have to choose her or all Pokémon to be one of his chosen? Surely there were better 'chosen ones' out there. Did it have to be her?

Well...looking on the bright side...at least she was showing some improvement... so at least she wasn't a total lost cause.

It was as if she was a human turned Pokémon...'but that wasn't possible...right?' Mew wondered.

Mew pondered on that for a few seconds, but then shook her head.

'Nah! It couldn't be,' Mew agreed with herself. Surely even Arceus wouldn't do...that!' Would he?

'No!..He wouldn't,' Mew stated to herself, scolding herself for bring silly.

Mew did her best to ignore a small shiver which suddenly crept down her back.

'I guess it's just growing up without a Memma. Having no Memma can do that to you,' she decided a few minutes later, before turning her concentration back to her charge again with a sigh.

It also didn't help that she was the first of her kind, if what Arceus said was true...

'Poor thing,' Mew thought, suddenly feeling a bit of sympathy towards the young Pokémon, while shaking her head dismally.

'So alone without any help...The sooner her trainer finds her and captures her the better,' Mew thought to herself as she suddenly spotted an incoming Spearow heading towards her charge.

"Oh no you don't," Mew muttered, a tick mark forming on her head, before she quickly teleported away. A brief flash of light later and the Spearow was knocked out and free falling to the ground, where it soon landed with a satisfying thump. The Spearow never knew what had hit it.

Sighing quietly to herself, seeing that the danger had, once again, at least for the moment, been diverted, Mew settled down on a near by branch.

'I really hope this is all worth it,' she thought to herself before turning her attention back to her charge.

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later, not far away in a very familiar scorched clearing.<strong>

"This is the area!" declared the voice of a young boy as he arrived at his destination.

"My Goodness! What happened here?" said another voice, this time an older man, as he too entered the area. A question which was soon echoed by the final two members of the small group.

Professor Oak had been very interested in the description of the towering tornado of flames when he had heard about it and had requested – or rather, more like ordered – the team to take a look and if possible to report back on what had caused such a phenomenon those weeks ago. He would have gone himself on the very same day he had heard about it, but he had to wait for the council to send him a few body guards first. In the end he had sent one of his aids out instead.

Slowly, cautiously, the quartet studied the immediate area with amazement. The whole area looked as if a napalm bomb had been dropped into it. Only much more destructive if that was possible.

The two trainers who had come to protect the other two instantly became alert. Both glanced at each others not liking at all what they were seeing.

When the professor had asked them to go with his grandson and one of his aids to the last known area of the reported powerful fire attack, they had expected a normal 'Find and Study' mission... This however, they quickly realised, was way above their usual pay grade. Whatever did this was powerful...very powerful.

All around them the whole area looked scorched. Plants and trees alike were shriveled up, some brown, most black and in most cases dying, if not already dead. Especially in the middle of the damaged area. The 'ground zero' of what ever had happened was nothing more than a three meter radius wide circle like hole of pure blackened burnt destruction.

Looking at the scorched circle the older man was fairly sure that nothing would grow in that area for months...or maybe even years to come.

"Unbelievable," he said as he moved closer to study the ground even further. "Even now nearly a month later, the ground is still warm," he added in amazement. "It must have been incredibly hot," he stated absentmindedly.

That bit of information did nothing to lessen the nervousness felt by his two bodyguards. If anything it only increased it. The fact that the area was still warm only reinforced their belief that the current expedition was way over their pay grade and not something they could safely handle. There were few Pokémon who could cause this much destruction. Those who could were usually on the top of the hierarchy and thus best avoided if at all possible.

Both of the guards knew only too well of what dangers lay in the wild world of Pokémon. As it was, they were now unsure if they could effectively protect the professors aid and grandchild.

A 'B' level Pokémon... sure, no problem. They were also experienced enough that they could win against an A grade Pokémon, depending on the type, especially if they teamed up against it,...but anything above that and the chance that something were to happen to their two charges was just too great to risk it.

The destruction of the area strongly pointed towards...whatever it was...being at least an Alpha Grade Pokémon, at minimum...probably worse. If it was worse even they would be helpless and they knew it. There is a reason why A grade Pokémon and above have such high warnings... only the best can even hope to win or usually survive against them. A grades were barely manageable... a 'retreat on sight' grade or Arceus forbid, a Legendary, would eat them for breakfast...and make it look easy. Those Pokémon needed an elite or maybe even an army to defeat them.

Usually if your Pokémon failed and fainted...or worse died against an A grade or above wild Pokémon, then chances are you would not be around the tell the tale. Contrary to the belief of some trainers, the Pokémon world is not a game. Far from it. Most new trainers failed to understand that point. Which was the main reason for the so called 'Safe zones', as they at least gave new and possibly immature trainers a chance. A chance to experience the real world before they got the chance to get fried...or burnt...or pecked to death... No area is completely safe. It was quite the opposite really. Fact is...most of the time the Pokémon world is a very dangerous place where the rules of the wild still reigned supreme. In some areas it's unfortunately quite common for a mother to get the dreaded back letter. It is therefore no wonder why some mothers point blank refuse to even let their children become trainers in the first place. Pokémon don't care if you are a human or not. If you are not careful there is a very high chance that you may well be hunted and not the hunter.

It is always very important to remember that ...even if you have a full six Pokémon on you, all it takes is one lucky hit...and your pecked (flying), cut (bug), sucked dry (grass), cursed (ghost), toasted (fire),...or maybe even deep electro-fried (electric), to only name a few. There are many ways to die and none of them are pleasant. Wild Pokémon usually aren't very picky when it come to that. They aren't even picky if your a Pokemon, adult or a child. Thought they will almost always attack the Pokemon first, followed by the adult and the child last.

Now, you may ask, if being a trainer is so dangerous, then why would a child of about ten years even be allowed to train a Pokémon. Well, back in its foundation the Pokémon League, or as it was called in those days; the Anti Pokémon Defense Council, had a large discussion whether or not to even allow children to become trainers... For a while it seemed as if only adults would be allowed to train Pokémon. That was until one of the council members pointed out that it didn't matter how strong you were, or indeed how old you were when it came to Pokémon. Unless you could somehow use aura, or you were a psychic, the trainers didn't fight, their Pokémon did. As such a child could be just as good a trainer as an adult could be...sometimes even better as they usually had an advanced sense of imagination. Imagination which was needed in a difficult battle. Besides, a child, being a child, and therefore smaller than an adult would also have a better chance to hide...or squeeze themselves into a narrow place to get away from a rampaging Pokémon. That had effectively, yet grudgingly shut the others up.

As it was, the two body guards had every right to be nervous.

* * *

><p>Suddenly a cry of pain was heard and both guards cringed and pulled out their Pokéballs, ready to fight or, if necessary, run at a moments notice.<p>

Luckily however it was only the aide who had burnt his fingers on a small shiny stone he had found.

"Hot! hot! hot!" the aide wailed as he grabbed his hand and waved it around in a desperate attempt to ease the pain.

Both guards cursed. The old man was making such a racket that there was a high chance that probably every Pokémon in the area knew they were there.

"Will you please be quiet..." guard number one said frantically.

"Shut up! Do you want every Pokémon in the whole forest to hear us?" the second guard added, not as politely. He was looking around the area, expecting an attack at any second now.

Sure enough, a few seconds later a flock of what looked like over fifty Spearows could be seen flying towards them.

"SHIT!" both guards exclaimed, loudly.

One of the guards threw a Pokéball releasing a Pokémon, but the pikachu which appeared from the ball took one look at the advancing flock of birds, gave its 'trainer' a brief look which strongly said 'do it yourself,' before he promptly retreated back into the safety of his ball.

Seeing that his Pokémon had 'betrayed' him the guard cursed. "Ok... Time to get out of here! Move it! Move it!" guard number one cried out in near panic, as he grabbed the aide and started to half drag half carry him, leaving the Pokéball behind in his haste to get away.

The other took one look at the advancing flock and simply ran. "Fuck the old man...just RUN! He'll follow us soon enough!" he screamed as he passed by his partner in a mad scramble to get away.

The next thing that could be heard was the loud panicky cries of three humans, one aide and his two bodyguards running away from a flock of angry Spearow.

A few minutes later, seeing that the Spearows were gone Gary slowly left his hiding place, a nearby brambles bush which just happened to be overgrown with nettles.

'Crap! What am I going to do? The idiots left me out here by myself,' he thought as he took a quick look around, ignoring the stinging of the nettles.

Gary knew it would not be safe to attempt the long walk home on his own. There were too many... 'things' in the way to make it back safely on his own. On the other hand he also knew he couldn't stay either. A wild Pokémon was sure to come along sometime. If only he had his own Pokémon. It was then that he noticed the forgotten Pokéball on the ground.

"Looks like you and me will be partners," he said to himself as he picked up the ball and clipped it to his belt.

"Time for the extra survival courses I took to pay up today," he added to himself as he began the long walk back home.

It would be several hours later before the other three would finally manage to escape their 'airborn escort'. It would then take another ten minutes before either of them noticed that they were missing the forth member of their group. By then Gary would be long gone.

* * *

><p>Gary Oak, was not in a good mood.<p>

His idiot minders had left him alone in the middle of a unfriendly forest with no supplies...and what was worse...as far as they knew, without a Pokémon.

They had left him without protection.

'Imbeciles!'

Good for nothing idiots!

Being without a Pokémon in the wild was the same as saying; 'Here I am, free lunch... eat me'

It just wasn't done.

Every child (and adult for that matter) knew that one simple rule. It was one of the first lessons young children learned as soon as they were old enough to finally leave the house by themselves:

'Don't go into the tall grass without a friendly Pokémon...'

...Which came right before: 'and definitely don't go into the forest...'

Any child who disobeyed that rule...and was lucky enough to survive the experience...would not forget the angry hand, the sore backside, the following grounding...and indeed the teary relieved faces of their parents anytime soon afterwards.

Yet that was directly the situation he now found himself in. Had one of his 'bodyguards' for the trip not left behind his Pokémon in his mad escape he, Gary Oak, the grandson of the highly esteemed Professor Samual Oak, would have been Pokémon-less in the wild.

Defenseless... in enemy territory.

Unbelievable.

His grandfather would probably have their heads when, not if, he found out. Perhaps even literally if he could find a way to 'fake' an accident.

Luckily, for both, them and himself, that would not be the case.

Luckily Gary had a Pokémon...a Pikachu, in the Pokéball which the guard had left behind.

It would be the only thing which would inadvertently save all of their 'behinds' and Gary knew it.

He was under no delusion that, had the guard not left behind the Pokéball – and more importantly the Pokémon inside - then he, Gary Oak, would be hard pressed to survive the night.

Looking at the Pokéball Gary slowly pushed the button to release the Pokémon, releasing the same Pikachu as before.

The Pikachu took one look at his new 'master' and sighed.

'Oh great! I knew it! I just knew it! I knew that bastard would give me away to another idiot,' he thought to himself as he gave Gary an evil eye look which spoke volumes of what he thought of the young boy before him.

'Well at least the Spearows are gone...looks like the ball is good for something after all,' he thought, smirking at the thought of what happened...or maybe could have happened to his 'former' master. A Pokémon could always dream...right?

'I can't believe he even thought I'd fight them...least of all for him. It's bad enough I have to stay in the ball. I really don't feel like risking my precious hide for that bastard too. Luckily he never realised the reason why I could disobey him is because he never 'traded' me away...and only 'gave' me away. Blasted controlling effect. Ah well...could be worse. At least it usually only happens once...unless traded that is.'

'Now if only I can find a way to stay out of that blasted ball..or better yet find a way to have the other bastard set me free completely... then I'd be out of here before anybody can say, Pika boo.'

'Oh boy,' Gary thought dismayed, as he suddenly realised that the Pikachu was one of...those!

The few who didn't obey.

'Maybe...just maybe ...he wasn't so lucky after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** ...And cut!

I must confess this chapter did not end where I thought it would. Truthfully I had a completely different idea/ending point for this chapter.

No matter...

Next chapter we will (hopefully) finally see Ash get his starter Pokémon.

Oh!... And before certain people start bringing out their own pitchforks...Ash WILL HAVE both Destiny and Pikachu as his Pokémon. It just won't be like in canon. I think your going to love what I have planned though...

Just thought you should know. LOL!

Until next time

LLC

PS:...I reserve the right to change a chapter at any time. If something doesn't make sense have a look at a former chapter. Something may have been added/changed.


	12. Even Hero's Make Mistakes

**Chapter last edited on: **20/October/2013

* * *

><p><em>AN: <em>_Okay-doe-kay. Here is the next chapter..._

_But first..._

_Here is some information which might interest you:_

_Destiny's current threat guide._

_Below is what can currently damage her and by how much:_

_**DOUBLE DAMAGE=** Fighting (Just the one...so, if you see a Kung Fu Master, Run away!)_

_**NORMAL DAMAGE=** Dragon & Ice... (Fight at your peril)_

_**1/4 DAMAGE =** Bug & Grass (Laugh and show them who's boss...Oh, right! I forgot she can't attack...damn!)_

_**NO DAMAGE =** Fire, Poison & Ground (She is immune to fire due to the Phoenix Rebirth ability... Poison due to her steel type... and Ground due to her levitation/hovering ability)_

_**1/2 Damage =** the rest! (Too lazy to write them all out...but at least they can't hurt her...much!)_

**_NOTE:_**_ The above will change after she evolves._

**_Also NOTE:_**_ My rules, NOT canon or game rules apply for this story!_

**_This means:_**

_Some moves like Surf and Sand Attack can ONLY be used where there is a large enough supply of water (surf) or sand (sand attack)._

_As such...moves like Surf can NOT be used in a desert...and a move like Sand Attack can NOT be used inside a building (where there is not enough sand). __Might still be able to do a dust attack though. :-)_

_**Note:** Elemental Pokémon like water Pokémon can produce a certain amount of water by themselves...if given enough time a move like SURF can be used if the water Pokémon has the necessary time to create a small lake to use it first. Obviously usually only a high level Pokémon is strong enough to do that and water Pokémon are at their strongest near a lake or a sea._

_Other Pokémon, like those that use electricity can use it anywhere at any time...beware though, the electricity may shock you if your standing on water... and getting shocked in my world is NOT a good thing. Unlike in the films...people can die in this story. yes DIE! (Ash is the exception...Why? Well... he's an aura user and as such he has the same resistance as a Pokémon) If another human get's hit by a thunderbolt...or a flamethrower however...well...let's just say I hope you like barbecue._

_**Note:** Jessie and James are also untrained Aura users (How else would they otherwise survive so many times lol)_

_Using the same system:...if a move requires a certain amount of room...like if there isn't enough room to use the move...it will not work...or at least not work correctly. (Which may also result in self injury...ie... crashing.)_

_The same applies to using large Pokémon... you CAN'T use an Onix or a Garados (let's not even talk about anything larger) in a small space... (well not unless you want a broken roof...a sunk ship...a crashed plane...or want your Pokémon to get stuck and probably get hurt...maybe even die by getting squashed... etc) Size ain't everything! Because of this Large Pokémon may not be able to enter certain buildings...(Luckily most buildings in the Pokémon world tend to be rather large so it's usually only a problem for the largest)...and may not be able to hide in certain areas...it's the laws of physics so get used to them. Want a huge Pokémon in a building?...No problem: Use a Pokéball! It's what they are there for after all. Makes me wonder how those balls work._

_On the plus side...if your large...any usable physical attacks will automatically be A LOT more effective... Basically...the larger...the more/faster the smaller guys gotta run to get away. Huge Pokémon LOVE physical attacks._

**_Here are a few good and bad points of large Pok_émon (just reverse everything for Small **_Pok_émon)__**:__**

__Good: _____Big Pokémon = Larger bodies = more armour. Depending on the attack, might be able to take more damage.___

_Bad: _Big Pokémon = May not be able to fight in small cramped areas.__

_Good: Big Pokémon = Stronger than small Pok_é_mon = able to deal lot more physical damage._

_Bad: Big Pok_émon = Larger = movement may be hindered by objects and may not be able to follow smaller _Pokémon_ into certain areas. (Smaller_ Pokémon may even be able to climb _Big Pokémon...)____

_Good: Big Pok_émon = _Larger legs = Faster movement._

_Bad: Big Pok_émon = Easier to be hit by attacks. Can not dodge attacks as easily as smaller Pok_émon___

_Good: Big Pokémon = Large Body = Heavy! VERY HEAVY!... __SQUISH! :-) (I think you get the idea)_

_**Note: **Pokemon are VERY resistant towards being squashed and can take a lot of damage before fainting...and even more before dying._

_League referees will ALWAYS call a match once a Pok_émon faints and ordering an attack, 'intentionally', after a Pok_émon has fainted, (and the referee has called the match), is an offense which almost always results in the loss of your ____Pok_émon Licence. ________

___To stop trigger happy Pok_émon from continuing a fight, after the other ____Pok_émon has fainted, _____ALL __Pok_émon trainers are obliged to train their ____Pok_émon NOT to attack other ____Pok_émon once they have fainted. Not to do so is a serious offense and can result in a loss of Trainers Licence...and even a stay in a prison, if a attack results in a death. (This is constantly drilled into each ____Pok_émon Trainer in the Trainers School...and is a mandatory exam question in their final test. Those who get the question wrong do not graduate)____________________

____________________Finally, to insure that the trainer has indeed done his/her job...Every ____Pok_émon HAS to go through a mandatory test before their first Official League Battle/Competition (usually a Gym Battle/Co-ordinator Battle...but at the latest when registering for a Major League Competition; like the indigo League) This test can be performed at any ____Pok_émon Centre.______________________________

______________________________A ____Pok_émon can not battle in any official league battle (Gym battles included) until this Examination/Test has been successfully completed.___________________________________

______________________________Luckily ____Pok_émon are usually very intelligent and so very few actually fail this test. ____________________________________________________________Any ____Pok_émon who does not pass this test can not be used in any official battles. Furthermore...any __________________________________Pok_émon who shows no sign of improvement may be banned from battles all together._________________________________________________________________

______________________________Destiny will go through this test herself before her own first League Battle...though it will be a little...problematic since she can't attack...yet.______________________________

_NOW! I have kept you waiting long enough...Let's get on with it...shall we :-)_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Previously on Paradox:<em>**

* * *

><p>Looking at the Pokéball Gary slowly pushed the button to release the Pokémon, releasing the same Pikachu as before.<p>

The Pikachu took one look at his new 'master' and sighed.

'Oh great! I knew it! I just knew it! I knew that bastard would give me away to another idiot,' he thought to himself as he gave Gary an evil eye look which sPoké volumes of what he thought of the young boy before him.

'Well at least the Spearows are gone...looks like the ball is good for something after all,' he thought, smirking at the thought of what could have happened to his 'former' master.

'I can't believe he even thought I'd fight them...least of all for him. It's bad enough I have to stay in the ball. I really don't feel like risking my precious hide for that bastard too.'

'Now if only I can find a way to stay out of that blasted ball..or better yet find a way to have the other bastard set me free... then I'd be out of here before anybody can say, Pika boo.'

'Oh boy,' Gary thought dismayed, as he suddenly realised that the Pikachu didn't like him.

'Maybe...just maybe ...he wasn't so lucky after all.

* * *

><p><strong><em>And now the continuation:<em>**

* * *

><p><em>PARA( <em>_｡◕‿‿◕｡__)DOX_

_Even Hero's Make Mistakes._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Three Months Later.<em>**

Another three months had come and gone since Destiny's first arrival in the forest. A full four months since her fiery rebirth from the jaws of almost certain death.

A lot had changed since her first arrived all those months ago. Not that she knew how long is had been, time as usual held no meaning for her, not anymore. She did however become much more at home in the forest ever since.

Gone were the days of almost constant struggling to find food, or to find a place to stay for the night... Finding food, finding a relatively safe place to stay each night, interacting - for the most part - with the local inhabitants...All no problem anymore for the once practically helpless Pokémon.

She even made friends with the local Pidgey population. Something all - or nearly all - Pokémon of the forest did at some stage. That is...as long as they weren't a Spearow...or it's larger counterpart; the Fearow.

Nobody...and I mean nobody liked the Spearows and Fearows.

The Pidgeys however... Pidgeys were a completely different story.

Quite useful birds; the Pidgeys. Quite useful birds indeed and always willing to help if they saw you in trouble - attacked - by their arch nemesis's; the Spearows. In fact...nothing pleased a Pidgey more than to thwart a Spearow attack. It was something which every inhabitant of the forest knew, or found out about as soon as they could walk, slither, slime, crawl or fly.

Everybody - except the Spearows - liked the Pidgeys and everybody - no exceptions, except the obvious - helped them and protected them, if possible healed them...and sometimes even fed a Pidgey whenever they could... For a very good reason: the Pidgeys and their larger evolutions were the only real defense the other inhabitants of the forest had against the militaristic Spearow squads.

There was no creature of the forest near Pallet town and the surrounding areas, bar the Spearows, Fearows or an odd wandering human, that would ever harm a Pidgey. At least not willingly. Never willingly. It just wasn't done. You simply didn't attack a Pidgey or its larger counterparts. It was tabu!

In return, for not harming them, the Pidgey's would, in turn, protect you from the ferocious Spearows and, if possible, from the larger Fearows. In short; It was symbiosis at it's finest.

It took Destiny a few weeks to learn about this, but it was quite common knowledge among the local inhabitants of the forest: Pidgeys and Spearows did NOT get along.

At all!

Actually that was an understatement of epic proportions.

Truth is, the Pidgeys and the Spearows of the forest 'Hated,' with a very large capital H, each others.

There wasn't a day in the forest without at least one skirmish between these two warring groups. It was quite frightening at times and had been steadily getting worse for the past few years, though nobody could remember how it had all started.

There were two main bases for each of the two warring groups...:

The Pidgey's controlled one half of the forest, the Spearows the other. Each would furiously defend their area of the forest.

Whenever a Spearow or a Pidgey saw each others, they would immediately drop whatever they were holding, stop whatever they were doing... and start fighting.

It didn't matter how small, weak or injured they were. If they could, they would immediately fight...and each fight was usually always, either to the death, until one fled, they were interrupted by a human trainer... or when backup came for one or the other. If that happened the outnumbered would almost always flee.

Unfortunately for the Pidgey's, unless they evolved, they were nearly always weaker than the Spearows. A lone Spearow would nearly always win against a lone Pidgey. Luckily however a Pidgey was always faster than a Spearow and so would usually always get away.

In the rare cases that a Pidgey could not get away, any nearby Pokémon would always try to help if they could.

As a rule: A Spearow usually always won against a Pidgey, but lost against a Pidgeotto. A Fearow usually always won against a Pidgeotto but lost against a Pidgeot. The Fearows had no real answer to fight the majestic Pidgeots. It usually took at least two Fearows to win against a Pidgeot... sometimes even three. Because of this Pidgeots were highly valued and always escorted by at least three Pidgey's and if possible two Pidgeotto at all times. If a Pidgeot were ever attacked by something it couldn't handle, the escorting Pidgey's would quickly fly away for help...while the Pidgeotto would help out the Pidgeot for as long as possible...even to the death if it was required. These Pidgeotto would only flee if the Pidgeot fled first. If the Pidgeot didn't flee then neither would the Pidgeotto. There was no greater honour for an escorting Pidgeotto than to sacrifice itself for a Pidgeot... and there was no greater dishonour than if one fled and left a Pidgeot to its demise. Any Pidgeotto who fled would be lucky if it were only cast out of the flock. A sure death sentence for the bird if it stayed on in the forest. It was the hope, that help – in other words any able Pidgey and Pidgeotto in the area ...sometimes even other Pokémon – would come to aid the Pidgeot, before it could get overwhelmed by the Spearows and Fearows.

In turn, it was a Fearows greatest desire to defeat... in other words: 'kill,' a Pidgeot... though it was fairly rare, extremely dangerous and something all other Pokémon strove to avoid at all times. Each lost Pidgeot was a severe blow to the forest's anti-Spearow population. The Spearows and Fearows knew this...and would always attack a Pidgeot whenever they could. No matter the odds against them.

* * *

><p>Currently, it was one of those times again. Destiny was, once again, in trouble... Angry flying Spearow who wanted to hurt her type of trouble. The most common trouble in the forest.<p>

With a sudden loud crash Destiny burst head first through a hedge and rolled across the ground. A quick somersault later, rebounding of a nearby tree, almost knocking into said tree in her haste, she risked a quick look around, before she immediately hovered away again, hovering as fast as she safely could, desperately trying to shake of her many pursuers...about sixty Spearow...and, to make matters even worse... one lone Fearow.

Destiny had been on the hover from this particular flock for the past half hour and was now getting tired. Desperately she looked around for a way, any way, to get away from the stubbornly perusing flock of flying pests.

Unluckily however, once again, she simply couldn't find one.

She simply wasn't able to move fast enough in forests, like the one she was currently in, and she simply did not have enough time to look for a safe place to hide. To make matters even worse, the blasted birds were too close for her to safely use one of her newest moves...

Yes, she had finally managed to learn a few moves...three in total since her first arrival in the forest. She now knew four moves, if you included agility, which she had accidentally learned - but still not perfected - back when she had still been training with Dave. This one just happened to be the move: 'Teleport'.

Normally she would have used 'it' to get away... Unluckily however, Teleport needed a lot of concentration to use. A lot of concentration... something which usually only Psychic type Pokémon had at a split seconds notice. She, however, was not a Psychic Pokémon and so was simply not able to concentrate enough to actually use the otherwise lifesaving move. At least not in the limited amount of time she currently had.

Slowly the Spreaows were gaining on her. Little by little, wing stroke by wing stroke, the small army of spearow and a single Fearow were coming that little bit closer.

With a sob of pure anguish, Destiny mentally prepared herself for what she was sure was soon to follow... a massive amount of pain... It wouldn't be the first time she would feel such pain...nor would it 'hopefully' be the last, however, this time there was a Fearow in the flock. Spearows were one thing...but a Fearow! A Fearow was real bad news. She wasn't sure if she could survive this one, steel armour or not.

Luckily, unknown to her, however, a certain pink Pokémon had seen her plight and had immediately raised the alarm. Mew, like all others Pokémon in the forest, knew of the fierce battle between the two warring armies...

How could she not.

Unwilling to fight against the flock by herself, as it would blow her cover, something she wanted to avoid if at all possible - win she could... but even she wouldn't mess with a whole flock on her own unless she absolutely had to - she immediately did the next best thing and transformed into a Pidgeot. That done, she sent out a cry for help to the nearest Pidgey outpost.

The local Pidgeys and Pidgeotto's were alarmed at seeing what they thought was an un-escorted Pidgeot so close to an enemy flock and immediately sent all they had in the area to intercept the approaching Spearow army.

Back with Destiny, she was now extremely exhausted and just about ready to finally 'keel over'. Deciding that it was time to make a 'final' desperate stand, she mentally prepared to stop and try to use teleport again in the hope that it would somehow work, when suddenly, help came from a very welcome sort.

Just when she thought she was 'done for' - she didn't think she had enough time and concentration to teleport away in time, not this time... and she doubted she would be able to concentrate either way, once she was under attack - she suddenly heard the sound of more wings advancing towards her... This time from her front. Not just the sound of wings...but, much to Destiny's extreme joy and utmost relief... the distinct welcome cries of a flock of Pidgeys, quite a few Pidgeottos, a few other local Pokémon ...and even one... shiny Pidgeot.

Filled with a new sense of hope she hadn't felt before, Destiny gave all she had left in her tired muscles and hovered straight towards the relative safety of the incoming friendly flock. She made it just in time. One second she was a mere centimeter away from getting pecked by a razor sharp Spearow beak...the next the perusing Spearow was tackled off course, hit by a friendly Pidgey, where it then proceeded to crash, with a rather satisfying meaty thwack, right into a nearby tree.

Destiny, realizing what had happened, released a rather loud gasp of relief. She was sure, a split second more and it would have been too late. True...her armour would have saved her from any real immediate injury - at least for a short while - but that did not mean she wanted to get hit if she could avoid it. Least of all by such overwhelming numbers.

The other Spearows, seeing the incoming flock of their mortal enemy, immediately turned away from Destiny and prepared to engage the newest arrivals in mortal combat, with half of them flying straight towards the incoming Pidgeot.

Destiny, seeing that she was now relatively safe, at least for now...thanked and wished the Pidgey flock the best of luck, then, using the excuse that she would be useless in the fight, quickly used the moment to finally accomplish that which she had tried to for a while now: to escape.

Quickly she closed her eyes deep in concentration, doing her best to ignore the many shrieks, squawks, splatters of blood, falling ripped out feathers and cries of pain, as a full scale battle erupted all around her.

A few seconds and a bright flash of light later and she was gone.

* * *

><p><strong><em>At that very moment, back in pallet town.<em>**

At the very moment Destiny was fleeing from the Spearow flock, a ten year old boy, in the small town of Pallet was quietly snoring, fast asleep in his bed.

Too excited to sleep, far too excited about what was going to happen in the morning, the boy had stayed up late, far into the night, against his mother wishes, right into the early hours of the morning. He had watched all of the previous seasons leagues battles from start to finish. Cheering on his idols until he finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion. It was therefore no real surprise that he was still sleeping and showing no signs of waking up any time soon.

Now, on a normal day, this would not have been much of a problem. It was after all the middle of the summer holidays...and seeing as Ash had recently qualified to become an official trainer, finally passing the regional Poké exam, after three years of successive failure, he would normally not have had to worry about getting up early anyway. Official trainers were, after all exempt from going to class... as long as they kept up satisfactory results.

Today however was not just any old day...today was the annual Pokémon starter selection day... a very important day in this young boys life. A day he had been working towards and looking forward to since the first time he knew what a Pokémon was.

He should have been at the Pokémon lab with the others, celebrating and getting to know his partner. Key word being should. Instead, here he was sleeping heavily, without a care in the world.

This boy was Ash Ketshum...future legendary Pokémon master and one of Arceus's chosen...and Ash was...

Late.

* * *

><p>Several more peaceful minutes passed by. Ash was still out, unconscious to the world around him and it was getting later and later. Suddenly a little mundane bird could be seen landing on the rooms nearby windowsill.<p>

The bird gave a few quiet thrills before curiously looking around the room. Suddenly, spotting the remains of a half eaten sandwich of the night before, it's eyes opened widely at the amazing - for the bird - sight. With a hungry look, quickly peeking a quick look towards the sleeping boy, then cocking it's head around for another look around the room for the pesky house cat, deeming the current situation safe enough to proceed, it quickly hopped over to the sandwich and proceed to dig in.

Unknown to the bird the cat had recently become 'smarter' and had been waiting for the daily visitor to arrive from a different location than usual; a rather tall lamp.

Looking down at the bird from its new high position, balancing on the lamp, the cat smirked when the bird didn't look up when searching the room.

Realising it now had a chance, the cat got ready to pounce.

One leg moved first, then another. Inch by inch the cat slowly maneuvered itself into the perfect position to jump.

'Yes!' the cat thought. Today there would be no escape. Today was the day, juicy bird for breakfast, Yum! It's favorite. Today it would surely be successful.

'I'll jump at three,'

'One...'

'Two...'

'Thr...' "ASH! GET UP!" came a sudden cry as the bedroom door swung open and the lights turned on.

Taken completely by surprise by the sudden loud cry, not to mention the sudden blinding bright light, the Cat yowled loudly, jumped in fright and slipped. Clawing quickly at the, now turned on and rapidly heating lamp, in an attempt to stop its fall, it proceeded to hang on tightly for a few split seconds, before; a rip was heard and the lamp suddenly came crashing down. The cat, unwilling to fall with the doomed lamp, swiftly detached itself and in a masterful somersault, which only a cat can manage, were it then proceeded to fall, claws first, straight towards the only reachable soft place it could find; Ash's bed, right onto the formerly sleeping boy's head.

Feeling the cat suddenly dig its sharp claws into him, Ash, in turn, also screamed loudly and jumped out of bed, immediately grabbing the cat as he did so in a desperate attempt to pull the cat of his head. A quick twist later, in which the cat thankfully let go, Ash quickly threw the cat as far away from him as he could, where it landed elegantly on its feet before it dashed out of the room as if the hounds of Hades were after it. Only then did Ash fully realise what had happened.

Throughout all of this Delia Ketchum; his mother, watched the whole scenario play out in front of her with wide eyes and an open gaping mouth.

Only two more words escaped her mouth before her shocked brain realised what had just happened:

"...Your... late..."

For a few seconds all was quiet in the house, before two more loud cries could be heard coming from the house. One was a scream of horror from Ash who suddenly realised that his alarm clock had stopped working during the night...and that he was late, very late to collect his starter...

...The other, for another reason entirely, was the voice of a fairly furious mother.

Luckily for Ash, she wasn't angry with him, but with the - long gone - cat and so, several minutes later, Ash was out of the door and out of the house, racing towards the local Pokémon lab. In his haste, never, for even a second realising that he was still in his pyjamas.

* * *

><p><strong><em>A few minutes later, Professor Oaks Lab.<em>**

Famous Pokémon professor Samual Oak, thirty times winner of best Pokémon researcher of the year and two times winner of the Golden Pokéball award for spectacular Pokémon discoveries, was just closing and locking his lab, when he suddenly heard the unmistakable sounds of a tired...not to mention very late, ten year old wannabe trainer, as he rushed up the road towards the lab.

Sighing and rolling his eyes in annoyance, but also feeling some amusement with a dash of sympathy, the Professor closed his eyes for a few seconds, counted to ten, then unlocked his lab again, before slowly walking down the outside stairs to meet up with his latecomer.

"So!...I see you have finally arrived. Glad you could join us," he said sternly as Ash finally arrived.

"Sorry professor...*Gasp*...I had some...*huff*...problems...*puff*...which delayed...*wheeze* me. Am I too...*Gasp*...too late?," Ash said between gasps of breath, already fearing the worst. He was hot and sweaty, his pyjamas were sticking to his body like a second layer of skin, having just run several kilometres from his house to the lab in in a full out sprint, in what he was sure was a new personal best. He hoped he wasn't too late.

The professor simply shook his head. "Indeed... what was it this time? No!... Wait! On second thought, I don't want to know...," he said and sighed. "Well...come on in," he added as he opened the door and walked back into his lab.

Ash, believing he had just made it in time, followed the professor into the lab and sighed in relief. He would have hated to have had to wait another year to get his Pokémon. Thankfully, luckily for him, it seemed that was not the case. Gary would never have let him forget it and he wouldn't have been able to looking into his rivals face if it had.

Entering a large room with a lot of interesting computers, a few book shelves along the walls and a large table in the middle, the professor led Ash to the table. On the table there was a container with what looked like three red balls resting inside it. Each ball had a different symbol, symbols for each of the three Kanto starters. One ball had the symbol of a red flame, another had a blue water drop and the last; a green leaf. These three balls were Pokéballs and each ball, Ash thought, held a Pokémon inside it. The Leaf one for instance meant that the Pokémon inside the ball would be a Bulbasaur, Kanto's grass type starter. The water drop would hold a Squirtle; Kanto's Water type Starter...and the final one...incidentally the one which Ash wanted to start with; usually held Kanto's Fire Starter: A Pokémon known as Charmander.

Walking up to the Pokéballs, Ash took a closer took at them. Inching closer to the one with the fire mark, his hand hovered over it.

"I thought about this long and hard professor...," he started to say. "... It wasn't easy but in the end I decided on Charmander," he finished as he grabbed the Fire marked Pokéball and held it carefully, reverently in his hands, not noticing for a second the sad look the professor was giving him.

Pushing the small button each Pokéball had; the button which realised said Pokémon from the ball, Ash expected his Charmander to materialise in front of him in a red light. Instead however, much to his shock, the ball only opened, with no Pokémon appearing to great him, like he had always dreamed it would.

"Oh!...I see," Ash said sadly to himself, realising that it had already been taken.

Moving over to the next Pokéball, the one with the tear drop, Ash sighed and picked it up.

"In that case... I chose you Squirtle!" he said loudly. However, once again the ball simply opened revealing nothing but a small moth as it flew out of the ball.

Gulping, fearing the worst, knowing that his particular moth would be useless to him as a Pokémon, Ash hesitantly moved over to the last and final ball, the one with the leaf symbol on it and pressed the final button.

'Please be in there...Please!' he mentally begged, but he already instinctively knew the outcome.

Sure enough, a second later, Ash closed his eyes in defeat and sorrow as even the third ball turned out to be empty. You could almost feel the sorrow and disappointment radiating from the boy.

The professor who had, until that moment, been watching the young trainer-to-be turn from an excited boy into a downtrodden kicked puppy, could only sigh and watch sadly as each ball turned out to be empty, just as he knew they would. Still, this was the way is was...and the way it had to be.

Slowly turning to face the old professor... a man who he also thought of as his unofficial grandpa, Ash gave him a sad enquiring look, which caused the old man to wince slightly.

"Well...I'm sorry Ash but...," he started to say before stopping to take a breath. Changing his face into that of his strict alter ego, he continued to speak:

"You know how it is...first come first served. You knew what day it is. You knew that you were supposed to come and pick your starter this morning. The others were here, nice and early I might add, and so they got to pick first. The early bird, does after all get the worm...or in this case the Pokémon. Had you been here with the others you would have gotten your starter too... You however decided to be late," he said looking disapprovingly at Ash's current choice of clothes. Ash flushed as he too realised his current choice of almost see through clothes, left much to be desired. How embarrassing.

"So...what now?" Ash asked hesitantly, doing his best to ignore his current clothes.

"Well...seeing as all the Pokémon for this year are gone," the professor continued before stopping briefly, then continuing in a matter of fact voice... "I think it will do you a lot of good if you had to wait for another year before you get your own Pokémon. If your early next time that is. Maybe this experience will teach you a very important lesson," the Professor said sternly which made Ash look down at his feet, a well chastised look on his face.

'The professor is right,' he realised with a pang. If only he had been there with the others... if only he hadn't stayed up for most of the night. Yea...if only! But he hadn't, had he? No, he had not. He knew he only had himself to blame...and now he had to pay the price.

Nodding in defeat, Ash tried his best to hide the tears he knew were now threatening to fall down his face. Slowly he turned around and began to walk away, his head held low. He was nearly out the door when he suddenly remembered something.

"Er...professor?

"Yes? the professor asked, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise.

"Can you at least give me my Pokédex and my Pokéballs?" he asked, hope in his otherwise sad voice, which caused the professor to raise his other eyebrow as well, before raising his hand to scratch his chin, contemplating the request.

'Should I?' he asked himself... 'Well...I guess...he wouldn't be the first to catch his own first Pokémon, nor would he be the last...it's just a lot more difficult to do it on your own, without another Pokémon to help you. If he manages to do so...and if he did befriend the Pokémon however then...'

"Ok...I think I can do that," he finally said, replacing his stern look with his normal, well known kind one.

Hearing the professor say yes, surprised Ash. He thought and had fully expected the professor to say no... for it to be a fools hope to get the professor to agree. Evidently it was not. He may not have received a Pokémon...but at least he would now have the necessary equipment needed to catch one by himself. He knew it would be difficult but... it was not beneath him to get his own hands dirty and do the catching himself... even without a Pokémon to do it with.

'At least now I have a chance,' he thought to himself as he eagerly followed the professor over to another table and watched as the professor gave him a little red box.

Seeing that he had Ash's full attention again, Professor Oak started to speak:

"Now Ash...this little red box here ...as you should know...is a sophisticated and highly advanced machine called a Pokédex. It is used primarily to gather and display information of Pokémon which you may find in the wild...but it can also be used as an official source of ID and to display more advanced information about any Pokémon you already have... such as its current level, any moves it may know, what it can learn...and what its strengths and weaknesses are. Please note however a Pokémon needs to be caught before you can access any advanced information about that Pokémon. You will not be able to see any moves or abilities another Pokémon may know and have...you will however be able to get a fairly accurate reading of their current level and their type...some times even types," he said as he handed Ash the Pokédex.

Ash gratefully took the Pokédex and clipped it to his belt. He knew he would have plenty of time to look and study it later. For now though he turned his attention to seven red balls the Professor was holding.

"Now...usually one of these balls would already be filled with a Pokémon known as a Starter. A Starter as you know, or at least should know, is a specially raised Pokémon given primarily to new trainers. Starters are much easier to handle and train than their wilder counterparts, which make them the ideal Pokémon for beginner trainers like yourself. Unfortunately, in your case, you don't have one yet," the professor said before halting to let Ash compose himself again as he had cringed at the reminder and had momentarily turned away. A few seconds later he continued to speak:

"You have only got yourself to blame for that... Now! Instead of the usual six Pokéballs, which I would usually give new trainers at the start of their journeys, along with the Pokédex and the usual starter allowance of 1000 Poké Dollars, you on the other hand will get seven. Six...for any extra Pokémon you may find in the wild...and one...for your first...whatever it may be, for whenever you catch it. Please be advised though that you can only carry six Pokémon at any one time...any others you catch on the way will be automatically sent here, to my lab for safe keeping. To retrieve a Pokémon you can do so at any time by contacting me at any Pokécentre, or by visiting me directly at the lab...but you should already know all of this already, don't you?...At least you should. It is after all covered in the courses. So!... Having said that, I won't keep you much longer. " he said as he finished explaining. "Any questions?" he asked, then looked expectantly at Ash.

Ash for his part shook his head, hiding his blush, then gladly took the offered Pokéballs. Clipping them onto his belt he thanked the professor. He would never admit it, but the professors lecture had been very informative. A lot of what the professor had said, he had, in fact forgotten.

"Thank you Professor...I...I promise you won't regret this," he said, a somewhat happy look appearing on his face again now that he had at least some of what it meant to be a trainer.

The professor smiled back kindly in response and nodded. "I'm sure," he said back a small twinkle in his eyes. 'I hope,' he thought.

"Now...of with you," he finally said, allowing Ash to leave.

Glad that he had got...most...of what he had come for, Ash turned around and began to walk away. Soon he left the lab leaving a somewhat amused Professor behind.

Shaking his head again the Professor shrugged, then, for the second time that day, he prepared to close down his lab. He was already late for his next meeting and didn't want to delay it any longer. It was a meeting about the increasingly aggressive behavior of the Spearows and the Pidgeys in the forest. Nasty! It had become much more dangerous to travel in the forest recently. So much so, that some officials in the Pokémon league had already been discussing relocating his lab...or at least the kanto starting point for new trainers, to another Kanto area. It was simply becoming too dangerous for new trainers to start their journeys from Pallet town, or so they said.

If that were to happen, not only would he lose valuable research time, he would, as the regional professor, also have to move to whatever city or area they thought suitable as a starting point. Something he could really do without at this point as it would really disrupt his current research into this new Pokémon David Stone had found...and consequently lost again about four months ago.

At this moment they only had the limited information David had managed to store in his Pokédex from scanning the Pokémon... 'Oh if only it hadn't died in that forest fire,' he thought, shaking his head again, sadly, as he locked the door and began to walk away. At least 'they' thought it had.

Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, back with Destiny, just after her escape from the forest battle.<strong>_

_**Location: another part of the forest, very close to the town of Pallet.**_

With a bright flash of light, Destiny materialised and almost immediately began to fall. It only took her a split second for her consciousness to fully assimilate and realise what was happening - she had appeared several meters high up in the air - before she cursed.

Quickly bracing herself for a somewhat rough landing, she expertly landed in a roll, effectively minimising any injury she could have felt from the fall.

Once safely on the ground she quickly performed a quick scan of her surroundings. Only after finding the area save enough, did she finally let herself relax and allow herself to rest.

'That... was too close,' she thought to herself as she waited for her body to calm down and somewhat recover from the stress of the day. Had something like that happened to her a few months ago she was sure she would not have survived.

She was under no illusion that she could have somehow made it away from the Spearow flock on her own. It was only due to the intervention of the Pidgey's that she had survived her latest encounter with the forests version of everyday schoolyard bullies. Unlike your everyday schoolyard bullies though...these ones had razor sharp claws and aimed to kill...not steal your school lunch...or keep you from playing games with your friends.

Oh, how she hated those bastard, evil, good for nothing, blasted birds. There wasn't a single day she, or another member of the forest, didn't have some sort of problem with them.

Evil little gits.

For the next few minutes Destiny let herself relax. Taking a moment to do a quick body check, she allowed herself to enter a sort of meditative trance. Almost immediately her normally dull red eyes began to glow and turn a light shade of yellow. Happy that she had successfully activated one of her newest abilities, she let her eyes roam, effectively doing a scan of her body.

Almost immediately knowledge began to enter her brain. It was basic knowledge about herself...any injuries she may have, what her current level was...even the current moves she knew. Sort of like what a Pokédex would tell you, with some added medical information added to it as an extra bonus. That sort of information. It had really proven itself useful to her countless times in the past few sun cycles. It even worked on her opponents as well, which had only sweetened the deal.

It had really taken her by surprise when she had first activated this ability. It was one of those times she had been attacked by...yes you guessed right...the Spearows - who else.

Oh, how she hates those birds.

On this particular occasion she had been injured and had wanted to know by how much. Normally a really troublesome task. Imagine her surprise when suddenly a detailed account of her injuries had suddenly appeared in her minds eye. She had trained and used her newest ability ever since. The only downside of the ability was that you had to concentrate and consciously use your eyes to direct it. Information didn't just appear in your brain from a mere glance. It took a few seconds for the information to 'download' itself into your brain first before you could use it. So it wasn't really an ability to be used when battling...but it sure was very useful for training, healing, or before a battle when you were still trying to convince your opponent that a battle really wasn't necessary, that it wasn't something they wanted ...or when you weren't actively being attacked.

During a battle however it was usually best left switched off... Unless of course your opponent was faking it's defeat. Then it was extremely useful indeed. It didn't just tell you your opponents injuries...but also its current 'stats' ie... if it was poisoned, paralysed... or asleep. You also had to actively think of what you wanted to know to receive the relevant information, again distracting you from a potential battle.

Scanning herself now, she found out that she had only received a few shallow scratches from her newest encounter. Far better than her last encounter where her left side had been torn open. A few areas of her armour had also been damaged, but again not by much and not as much as the last time, where she had to re-grow a sizeable area of it. Luckily Pokemon, as a rule, healed very quickly.

It seemed her endurance training of the past few weeks had also paid off. Overall she was only exhausted but not close to an all out heart attack, like she had been several sun cycles ago. Nothing a good rest couldn't fix.

Sighing in relief, she shut off her scan ability, allowing her eyes to return to their usual dull red colour. Now knowing the state of her injuries... thankfully they weren't too bad, she proceeded to perform one of her newest moves.

Once again, entering a meditative stance, she allowed herself to relax even further, doing her best to concentrate on the few areas of pain she felt, then, her eyes suddenly glowing a distinct shade of green. Suddenly she felt a sudden wave of coolness, like a brief cold gust of wind, yet still comfortable, flow over her, effectively taking her injuries and pain away.

Knowing from past experience that she had just used another of her newest moves, moves which she had accidentally learned in the past few sun cycles, this one being her version of the move; 'Recover,' she sighed again, this time a sigh of relief with a touch of happiness added in to enhance the moment.

Glad that her newest ordeal was over, she let herself doze off into a short nap. 'Recover' may heal all wounds...unfortunately the same could not be said for her fatigue. That could only be removed through rest. It was one of the few main weaknesses every Pokémon which could use the 'Recover' move had.

Yes...they can heal themselves of most injuries, at any time, something which can really annoy...even demoralise an average opponent...however, they can still be defeated through exhaustion...or by a lucky one hit KO.

It also didn't help that Pokémon who could use 'Recover' generally had a lower injury threshold or 'Hit point count' than those who didn't. Able to receive far less damage than those who didn't have the move before fainting.

She luckily did not seem to have that problem. Something she was very happy about.

Satisfied that she had done all she could, Destiny allowed her mind to drift and began to wonder how her old trainer was doing. Was he all right? How had he coped during the last few months without her?

What about Ayla? She hoped the kind girl had managed to get to the exams which she had talked about. In Cerulean city was it? Well...she hoped she passed them. Maybe some day she'd see them again.

Letting her mind wander even further, Destiny thought about the last few months. About her time in the wild...and how much she had changed and learned since her first arrival.

Her struggles to find food...

Her near death and rebirth. She still didn't know how she survived that experience. 'Just happy and lucky to still be alive I guess,' she thought to herself.

Then there were the constant attacks by the Spearow.

'Oh how I hate those birds.'

Or how about how she learned her three new moves. Moves like:

Reflect; A special Psychic-type technique which significantly reduces damage from all physical attacks for a brief amount of time. Effectively cutting all damage received by half. She had learned that one by pure accident during a particularly painful beating from...a Fearow. 'Oh how I hate those birds,' she thought again for the umpteenth time that day.

It had taken her a full week to fully recover from that wound... That was before she had learned 'Recover.' Now it was much easier.

Recover;' the same move she had just used earlier...the infamous move used to heal oneself and demoralise your opponents.

She had learned that one after another beating from...yes...it was the Spearows. 'Did I mention that I hate those birds? We'll...it's worth saying again; I hate those birds.' 'Hmm...come to think of it...without their constant attacks I probably wouldn't have learned these moves,' she thought to herself. 'Maybe I should thank them...'

'Nah!'

Finally, she had learned that other useful move: 'Teleport.' The annoying - for all trainers - yet very useful - for the escaping Pokémon- move used to get away or transport yourself in mere seconds to a new location. Usually only a short distance away, but sometimes to a far away place as well. Unfortunately it took a lot of...and I mean A LOT of concentration to pull it off, especially in the midst of a battle. Concentration which only Psychic Pokémon usually had. It also took a lot more power to go further away... but's that's to be expected really. Furthermore...Teleport could also only be used to teleport to places you already knew about.

Oh, she could use it just fine herself - though only when not under attack - and had done so multiple times... especially to get away from Gary and that Pikachu of his.

Yes...Gary Oak. 'The' Gary Oak, grandson of the Professor Oak. 'Hmm..I wonder where he got that Pikachu from? Can't remember if he had one.'

She had met the duo a few times in the forest during the past few weeks...each time he had tried to catch her; at first with his Pikachu, which had ignored Gary's commands - that was funny. After that he tried it by himself...and had received a nice bruise for his efforts courtesy of yours truly.

Finally, he had used some other Pokémon. That was the closest she had ever come to getting caught. 'I am almost certain those were not his own, as they were much stronger than anything else in the area. Probably the professors,' she thought again as she remembered her...exceedingly close escape.

Gary had actually managed to briefly capture her with one of his Pokéballs that time. It had only been her sheer willpower and unwillingness to be captured that had saved her that time. She had broken out of the Pokéball...and had then proceeded to smash the ball across his head, breaking it in half, before escaping in a flash of light, after leaving him knocked out. She hadn't seen him since...and she dearly hoped she wouldn't again either.

* * *

><p>Destiny was still thinking of her past experiences when she was suddenly brought out of her musings, when she suddenly heard the tell tale signs of a near by battle.<p>

Groaning unhappily, irked that she had been disturbed, but unwilling to stay where she was, in case she got caught in yet another battle, Destiny rose and began to hover away when she suddenly stopped.

'Was that the sound of a trainer battle,' she asked herself.

Against her better judgement, knowing it was a foolish thing to do, but, in the end, deciding to do so anyway, she allowed herself to hover a little closer to where the sounds of battle were coming from. She knew she was taking an unnecessary risk, but she just couldn't help it.

She had quickly realised during her stay in the forest, that good trainer battles, at least those worth watching, were pretty rare in her current area. Thus always a gem to watch. You can say what you like about the wild... but nobody can battle better than a trained Pokémon, if trained by a competent trainer. You could learn a lot from a trainers battle.

The forest near Pallet town was not known to have many high level trainers. Rookies usually tried to avoid battles for their first few weeks, opting to battle against the somewhat easier - but still not to be underestimated - wild Pokémon instead.

Since the nearest town: Pallet Town - she had become excited when she had at first found that out - was an area which usually only had beginner trainers - besides the odd local or visiting veteran trainer, who wanted to see the Professors lab - she was very interested in actually seeing a real trainers battle. Even if the risk of capture was high.

Hovering closer until she could finally make out the battle, careful to stay in the shadows of the trees, she stopped to watch. A few seconds later her eyes widened in surprise...and a certain amount of anxiety, as she realised who it was.

'Oh no...'Him'!

Think of the devil and he shall show his ugly face,' she thought as she realised it was Gary Oak who was currently battling another trainer.

Unwilling to stick around in case he saw and tried to capture her again, Destiny was just about to turn around and 'get the hell out of there' when she suddenly heard Gary say that he had only just started his journey and that this was his first official battle.

Surprised, and again against her better judgement, she froze.

'He is starting his journey today? But that means Ash is also starting his journey as well. Damn it! Where the hell is he? I don't want to miss him, or I'll never find him. At least not for a long time,' she thought, worried.

She could not afford to miss him. Not now. Not after coming so close to actually finding him. Then again...it could have been much worse. She had been in the wild for so long now that she had lost all sense of time. For all she knew he could have had already left. It was only the fact that Gary was young - she guessed about ten - ...and that he - and therefore also Ash - were only just starting their journeys today, which told her that she still had a chance.

Suddenly she frowned. 'But why does Gary have Ash's Pikachu?,' she wondered with a frown, as she watched Gary's Pikachu, who was currently battling, ignoring his trainer. It had to be him. Only Ash's Pikachu was that troublesome as far as she could remember.

'Didn't Gary start with a Squirtle?' she asked herself, her frown deepening as she tried to make sense of the sudden unexpected dilemma.

Suddenly she became very worried. 'This isn't right. This shouldn't be happening. Not this way...and why the hell is Gary losing? Isn't he supposed to be this unbeatable, arrogant and 'got a strategy for everything' kind of trainer? The main antagonist to Ash?... At least for the first few years.

All thoughts of 'getting the hell out of there' now forgotten, Destiny settled down to watch. She simply had to know...and find out she would, if she could.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That very moment, with Gary<strong>_

Gary was annoyed... scratch that, he was more than annoyed. He was royally pissed. His Pikachu was, once again, refusing to listen to him.

From the first moment he had first met him in the forest, right up to this very moment, the blasted disobedient rodent had always refused to battle. Always the same, each time, no exception. Not once had it obeyed his commands. And now, it did the same again...right in his first ever 'official' Pokémon battle.

What an embarrassing way to start his training career...

Gary knew he should have expected this to happen... Oh, he knew he shouldn't have accepted the battle... Not yet at least. But it was a challenge... and a Gary Oak never declines a challenge. At least not as long he could afford to do so. His Pikachu was healthy, he had enough cash if he lost, more than enough, as he was quite rich...and so... he could...and he would not walk away from an official battle.

But even so, ever since he had met the blasted yellow rodent back in the forest things have been going wrong for him. Up until that moment he was the king of Pallet Town... Now!...Now he was lucky if the others didn't laugh at him.

But give up, he would not! He refused to. Give up that is. Not he...not the great Gary Oak, future Pokémon champion and future Master Researcher Supreme, future winner of the Golden Pokéball - the highest award to researchers in the Pokéworld - ...and hopefully future ladies man too.

*Wink Wink*

Giving up was just not in his vocabulary. Well...not unless it was the other who was doing the 'giving up'. Not now, not ever. Even if he had to fight every every single Pokémon from here to the league itself by himself, he would do so...

...Though he would of course prefer if the blasted rodent did it for him instead.

But that's neither here nor there. He had to win his current battle first.

Oh! If only his grandfather hadn't insisted he should start with the little beast. "You already have a starter," he said. "You don't need another," he had said. He had wanted to start with a Squirtle, but No! The old man had given him the Pikachu instead.

'What did I do to deserve this!'

*Sob!*

Oh, he had asked, begged even - 'urg...begging is usually so beneath me' - to swap the Pikachu with the Squirtle, but..."No Gary... it will do you a lot of good to start with Pikachu instead. You might learn something," the old man had said...

Yeah right...as if 'HE'; Gary Oak, the best of his graduation class from the Pokémon academy, winner of the academies 'best Kanto Youngster Trainer of the year' award and highest scorer of 98% in the K-POKÉ exam, the highest score for the past thirty...yes thirty years, since the legendary Champion Red - who had received the full 100% - had anything else to learn. He had done just as well as his father...the famous Indigo x-champion and x-Viridian gym leader; Blue Oak, meaning he had practically Aced that Exam... Aced it damn it!

'It wasn't my fault that the only question I got wrong was a stupid trick question. Something to do with love even. BAH!... Or was that the correct way of how to treat your Pokémon? Whatever! It can't have been too important'

Anyway... fact is, all because he had been unlucky enough to be left behind with the Pikachu in the forest three months ago...he now had the damn rat as his own Pokémon, instead of the Squirtle he so deserved. Had it been any other Pokémon...hell, even a Caterpie...a lousy Magikarp even... then fine... he would have adapted like he always did...

...Just as long as it listened to him.

Why! Why did it just have to be the one Pokémon that didn't listen!

No wonder the old trainer didn't want the Pikachu back.

'What is it that is more important than knowledge and strategy... what was it that Granddad said that Ash... that... that loser has that I don't? What, Damn it? what does the old man see in that idiot. He was always late...he failed the exam three times... he rarely won a battle...'

'...yet... the old man saw something in the idiot... What! Just what was it that he had that 'he,' Gary needed? Damn it!

Alas, he had been unable to persuade his Grandfather and so he was now stuck with this annoying Pikachu as a starter, instead of the Squirtle he had always wanted.

So here he was...'trying'...oh the shame... to order the pikachu around in his first official battle. However, it just wouldn't listen.

"Pikachu thundershock, I know you can do it, iv'e seen you do it, thundershock...now!" he said angrily, clear anger in his voice, growling slightly as he saw the other trainer smirk.

::Do it yourself!:: Pikachu said, while turning his head away.

"Hah!...what an idiot...he can't even control his Pokémon," the other trainer, a brash, brown haired boy said.

'Damn you, Pikachu!' Gary thought again, getting more annoyed by the second.

"Ratatta, tackle attack, let's end this," the other trainer said, but before the rat Pokémon could attack Pikachu had already jumped away and climbed up a tree where he then proceeded to eat a small berry, then settle down for a nap, completely ignoring the 'battle' below.

Gary glared in barely restrained hatred, and clenched his teeth tightly as the electric mouse left the battlefield, thereby effectively forfeiting the battle.

"Yes! We won," the other trainer said with a grin, doing a small victory dance. A dance which his Pokémon imitated. "That was easy, it never even attacked once," he added, smugly, as if he had just done something great.

Gary, red in the face from both anger and embarrassment, growled then tried to recall his Pokémon, keyword being the word 'tried' as the Pikachu jumped out of the way before the balls recalling red light could touch it.

"Hmm...are you sure you're a trainer?" the boy asked. "Because if you are, your not a good one. What's your name again? Larry was it?" he asked.

Gary didn't answer, instead he tried to recall his Pikachu again, only to be greeted with the same results as before.

"Don't want to answer, eh? Well that's understandable...I wouldn't want to answer either if I were a loser like you," the other boy said nastily, with a small chuckle, not at all perturbed that Gary hadn't answered him. He seemed to be enjoying himself instead.

"Well gotta go...Gotta actually find a worthy opponent around here...someone worth while...or at the very least not a loser like you," the trainer said, before he began to walk away, laughing loudly as he went.

Gary for his part gnashed his teeth and tried to recall Pikachu once more time before finally giving up in a angry huff.

"Damn blasted rat," he mumbled.

It was at that second that Destiny decided she had seen enough and started to hover away.

Unfortunately she wasn't quiet enough.

Startled by a sudden noise, Gary looked up and almost immediately felt his eyes widening as he saw the very same black and white Pokémon he had been trying to catch - but failed every time - for the past few weeks now. Ever since he had first seen her in the forest.

"You!... I'll get you this time," he said, a small gleam appearing in his eyes.

"Pikachu...thundershock!" he practically roared...

...Only for nothing to happen.

Turning to look towards his Pikachu Gary clenched his teeth in the utmost fury as he saw the Pikachu sleeping on a branch, a snot bubble coming from it's nose.

"PIKACHU!" he roared loudly, finally losing what was left of his cool, usually unbreakable facade.

"PIKACHU!" he roared again, angrily, spit flying from his mouth, as he saw the black and white Pokémon he really wanted to catch...and had been trying to catch for the past three months suddenly disappear in a white flash of light. Once again.

"FUCK!" Gary screamed to the heavens.

::Will you shut up you bastard, I'm trying to sleep here:: Pikachu said in Poké-speech, before turning away from his trainer, obviously snubbing the outraged boy.

That was all it took. Gary may not have been able to understand what the Pikachu had said, but the fact that Pikachu ad turned away from him was a clear sign of the utmost disobedience. Disobedience which finally snapped the proverbial Camerupts back of Gary's already frazzled nerves.

At that moment he completely lost it, and it was at that moment that Mount Oak erupted.

"Fine you blasted rat," he suddenly roared. "I get it...you don't want me... do you? DO YOU!, Eh!"

"Fine...Go ahead. GO!..Get out of here! See if I care! I don't want you...and I don't need you," he roared, angrily, unable to stop himself from saying those words, completely forgetting for a second that Pikachu was the only Pokémon he currently had.

Immediately Pikachu's ears twitched and looked up.

"It's clear you don't want to be with me...so...FINE!... GET LOST! SCRAM YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BLASTED RAT!,: he practically screamed in fury before taking Pikachu's Pokéball and throwing it at his Pokémon with the utmost fury.

Pikachu, didn't have to be told twice. With a back-flip and a sense of mobility Gary never even knew the Pikachu had, he somersaulted of the branch, thereby avoiding the incoming Pokéball and with a quick thunderbolt - a move Gary never even knew the Pikachu had - he zapped the ball, blowing it into several different pieces.

That done, the now former captured Pokémon dashed away into a near by bush, leaving his now former trainer all alone, poké-less and in desperate need of some anger management.

Gary couldn't believe his eyes. The moment Gary saw his former Pokémon dash away, he screamed out in fury. For several minutes he did nothing but curse. Then he suddenly kicked a near by tree.

Almost immediately a squawk could be heard coming from said tree, followed shortly after by two soft *splats* as two eggs fell on top of Gary's head, adding to his misery.

"This is so demoralising," Gary said to himself, suddenly quietly, before, as if that had not been enough, to add insult to disgrace, the two eggs were soon followed a few second later by a small knocked out Caterpie which also smacked onto his head.

"So... So... Demoralising," he said again, a soft sob escaping from his mouth.

For the next few minutes Gary just sat where he was and cried. At that moment he really felt like crap. Wallowing in self pity, he tried to make sense of what had just happened to him.

Finding it difficult to think clearly, Gary picked up the Caterpie and looked at it. It was a small, obviously weak, just barely out of it's egg. It was such a pathetic thing, he could hardly stop himself from sneering at it.

However something in him stopped him from doing so.

Taking a deep breath to further cool down his nerves, he suddenly took out one of his spare Pokéballs, then, with another small sob he gently tapped the Caterpie with it, sucking the Caterpie into the ball, before clipping the Pokéball to his belt.

"Fine!" he suddenly said out loudly. "If that's how you want it then fine! I accept your challenge. I don't need you...I will never need you you blasted rat. I'll show you...I'll show everybody. No matter what you throw at me...no matter what obstacles you put in my way. I'll become the champion. Even if I have to go all the way with nothing but a measly little caterpie. I will still do it. And... I WILL SUCCEED! he roared, before taking a deep breath.

Suddenly feeling much better, in a much quieter, much calmer voice he continued to speak:

"Mark my words... This weak Caterpie! This Insignificant pathetic little bug...," he said, holding up the Pokéball, "...Will someday become the strongest Butterfree in the entire world and then you'll all say... here comes the famous champion... Gary Oak."

"Guess what, he started with a little weak Caterpie...and he won it all!"

With those last few words, he turned and walked away a new purpose... with a new fire in his step.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back with Ash<strong>_

At that very moment, while Gary was having a rather embarrassing...yet inspiring tantrum, Ash, for his part, was facing a few problems of his own.

Ash, like Gary was not having much luck catching Pokémon. However, unlike Gary, who at least had a Caterpie, Ash still had no Pokémon at all.

At that moment Ash was carefully sneaking through a bush towards a near by Pidgey he had seen a while ago. He had been following the Pidgey for quite a while now and ever since he had first seen it, he had made up his mind to capture it.

"I may not have a Starter, but that doesn't matter. This Pidgey will become my Starter...and with it I'll show the world.' he thought to himself as he slowly crept forward another inch, then another, towards the unsuspecting Pidgey.

'Just a another few inches now... just another few,' he thought.

It wouldn't be too long now... or so he hoped.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

AND...CUT!

I promise...next time you will see Destiny meet up with Ash...

I know...I know... I said it would be this time... Oh well... what can I say: Sh...er... stuff happens.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter though.

You didn't really think I'd leave Pika with Gary...did you? LOL.

Until next time.


	13. Forest Mayhem

**Chapter edited on: 23/October/2013**

* * *

><p><strong>Warning:<strong> Blood, Death, Angst and Gore in this chapter.

If you feel I should upgrade the story rating to M please tell me.

:: Pidgey's to me!:: = Pokéspeech

(((I am a Pokédex))) = Pokédex speech

* * *

><p><strong><em>Previously on Paradox:<em>**

* * *

><p>At that very moment, while Gary was having a rather embarrassing...yet inspiring tantrum, Ash, for his part, was facing a few problems of his own.<p>

Ash, like Gary was not having much luck catching Pokémon. However, unlike Gary, who at least had a Caterpie, Ash still had no Pokémon at all.

At that moment Ash was carefully sneaking through a bush towards a near by Pidgey he had seen a while ago. He had been following the Pidgey for quite a while now and ever since he had first seen it, he had made up his mind to capture it.

'I may not have a Starter, but that doesn't matter. This Pidgey will become my Starter...and with it I'll show the world.' he thought to himself as he slowly crept forward another inch, then another, towards the unsuspecting Pidgey.

'Just a another few inches now... just another few,' he thought.

It wouldn't be too long now... or so he hoped.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And now the continuation:<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>PARA( <em>_｡◕‿‿◕｡__)DOX_

_Forest Mayhem_

* * *

><p>It had happened at last.<p>

His life of forced servitude, stupid annoying trainers and 'jail time' in those blasted pokéballs had finally come on an abrupt end.

Finally Free...

Freedom!

Oh, what a wonderful word.

In all honesty, it was about time. It had taken far more time to convince those stubborn fools, called humans, to release him than he had thought it would.

'Seriously, how stupid...or was it stubborn... probably both, can they get?' Pikachu thought to himself as he quietly scampered through the thick foliage of the forest, carefully staying in the relatively safe areas of the tall grass and darkness of the shadows, where any potential predators would hopefully not see him.

'I mean...it's not like I ever obeyed any orders. Or indeed shown any indication that I would ever do so. One would think that those idiot trainers would get the point and actually accept that I simply didn't want anything to do with them. But no!..._ 'Give him more time' _or_ 'He'll come around soon enough,'_ they said.

'Idiots!' Pikachu grumbled to himself.

'Morons..'

'Arrogant bigots...'

'Good for nothing imbeciles the lot of them.'

'But what could you expect... they were humans after all,' he reminded himself.

No matter, he had escaped and they were now a part of his past. That was all that mattered. He would be damned if he allowed another human to capture him again.

::Not if I can help it:: Pikachu vowed, filled with determination.

Pikachu was so distracted by his current thoughts that he didn't notice, he had suddenly stepped into a small clearing and was therefore not protected by the thick forests cover anymore.

At least not until it was already far too late.

::Row, Row, Row, Fear-re-oh:: (Well, well, well...look who we have here!) came the sudden unwelcome voice of a near by Fearow who was perched on a near by branch not too far away.

Hearing the voice Pikachu froze.

'Oh no!' he thought with a cringe. Hearing a Fearow was never good news, least of all, in the current forest.

Slowly, already expecting the worst, he took a quick look around. His eyes opened wide, almost instantly, in fear a second later. It was worse...much worse.

Not too far away, sitting in a few trees, a flock of twenty Spearows and five Fearow were glaring at him.

Pikachu gulped, loudly.

There was no better word to describe it. It was so loud you could hear it.

For one brief moment Pikachu's heart skipped a beat, then, just as suddenly, it drastically sped up as adrenaline flooded his system in a pure wave of terror.

Practically petrified, careful not to make any sudden movements, ignoring as best as he could, the large beads of sweat which had begun to roll down his face, he turned his otherwise full undivided attention to the extreme danger in front of him.

One bad move... and it could all be over.

A lone Fearow or a few Spearow, maybe even two Fearow, he could have taken on by himself and won - being an electric type helped a lot in that regard...but this... this was simply too much. Even for him.

For a normal Pokémon one Fearow was bad news...two was terrible news. Three!... Three or more was usually a definite death sentence... even for an electric rodent like himself.

One he could have won against, easily.

Two...two he could have taken out with only a little difficulty, and probably have won, easily enough, with at worst, a few scratches...

Three...three would have become difficult...and he would probably have been hurt, badly... especially if they knew how to work as a team.

Four...he might have succeeded in taking out two of them...but after that he would have been out of luck.

The current five Fearows and twenty Spearows, however, were clear overwhelming undisputed overkill.

Fearows were, after all, not Spearows. Spearows he could have taken out, in great numbers with one well placed thundershock.

Fearows however, usually always took, at least two hits...even from an electric attack.

::An itsy bitsy Pikachu, oh so far away from home!:: one of the Fearow on another branch suddenly began to chirp in song.

Pikachu gulped again and took a step back, prompting a few of the near by angry birds; those who could without falling of the branches, to take a quick hop forward.

::Along came a few Fearow and suddenly Pika was not alone...:: sang another Fearow, a glint in its eyes, as it slowly began to open its wings and got ready to attack. It didn't take long for the others to mimic him.

'Help!' was Pikachu's last thought before he turned around and did the only thing he could...he fled.

::FEAROW!:: (ALL BEAKS... ATTACK!) came a loud squawk, obviously from the leader of the flock. The sound of fifty wings following could be heard a second later.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A few minutes earlier, back with Ash<strong>_

Meanwhile while Pikachu was scrambling hurriedly for his life, moving as fast of his little legs would let him, hidden inside a bush, Ash was looked eagerly at a Pidgey he was about to catch... or so he hoped. He was so close now he could practically smell it...or rather, he could have if he had the nose and the ability to actually do so.

For once Ash was extremely happy that he had taken those extra curriculum stealth classes offered at the academy. They were really paying off now.

'OK,' to be fair, he had not had much of a choice at the time. He had after all failed the stealth part of the course...barely...but he had still failed.

As such he had been forced by the teacher of the time; an experienced trainer and former league top four contestant... then later, when that didn't work, his mother, to take a few remedial classes to get his skills to an 'acceptable' level.

But hey...if this worked then the many detentions he had suffered and the extra classes he had been forced to attend would have been well worth it.

Quietly, rechecking the direction of the wind in the way he had been taught to do, he made sure to only move when it was blowing towards him, away from the bird and not when blowing from him, towards the bird. He did it in this way so that the wind would carry less of his presence (any sound he made) over to the bird and so didn't - in theory at least - alert it to his presence whenever he moved another step forward. At least that was the idea. Unfortunately it didn't always work and it took a lot of practice for most people to get it right. Ash, of course, was no exception.

Ash flinched as he heard a small twig snap beneath his foot and froze when, for a second, the birds head snapped up in a clear sign that it was listening. Ash mentally swore and held his breath. He didn't dare move. A small bead of sweat trickling down the side of his head as he waited. Ash really hoped he hadn't just given himself away and cursed his loud thumping heart beat.

'Please...I'm not here...nice Pidgey...it's all just your imagination,' he mentally begged, wishing for the bird to return to what it had been doing.

'Come on...YES!' Ash mentally screamed out in celebration. Seemingly the bird had indeed decided that it had been nothing and had gone back to picking at the ground with it's beak for what Ash assumed was food of some sort.

Not willing to waste the opportunity Ash decided he had moved close enough and readied himself to throw a pokéball at it.

Slowly, so not to startle the bird at the last second, he expanded a pokéball to the 'Ready' state, raised his hand and mentally took aim. 'Wait...wait for the right moment...wait...wait...NO...ow...

'NO!'

Ash was just about to throw the ball when suddenly the bird hopped away.

'Oh come on!' Ash thought in disbelief. 'I was so close!'

Sighing to himself he took his hand back down and returned the pokéball to it's smaller deactivated state.

'Fine! Nobody said it would be easy. Let's try again,' he thought. Slowly he began to creep closer once more.

Suddenly he heard the sound of wings of several approaching birds. Groaning mentally, Ash froze once more and did his best not to move.

'Oh, What now?' he thought annoyed.

Staying still, making sure not to move in his current hiding pace, Ash watched and mentally cursed as a small flock of one Pidgeotto and eight Pidgeyes landed beside the Pidgey he had, so diligently, tried to catch just a few moments ago.

::Pi- Eotto (Ten-Hut) :: the Pidgotto barked out loudly. A split second later the other eight Pidgeys gathered into a straight line behind it.

Hearing the obvious command the other lone Pidgey immediately joined the others in the line and stood to attention.

Seeing this Ash could only gape...'What the hell...' He had never seen anything like this before.

Not knowing that a human was near, the Pidgeotto turned to face his underlings and said: ::Pidge! (At ease!)::

Hearing this the Pidgeyes relaxed. The Pidgeotto paused for a second to sort out his thoughts, then continued to speak:

::I'll keep it short. Roost Outpost Thirty-Four has received a report of an enemy flock of Spearows in the immediate area::

::We don't have exact details on how large this flock is but it is our job to find them and if possible neutralize them::

::If they can not be neutralized we are to change to 'peck, retreat and repeat' tactics for as long as possible and wait for reinforcements::

The Pidgeotto paused for a few seconds then, walking up and down the line of Pidgeyes, like an old drill instructor, he continued to speak:

::Secondly...and much more importantly...the whole area has recently received a collective Priority One, long term mission which I expect each and every one of you...myself included, to die for if needed::

Hearing this all of the Pidgeys immediately became a lot more alert and stood straighter. 'Do or die' missions, S class...or Suicide Missions as they were sometimes called, only came right from the top of the pecking order and as such were only issued by the Pidgeots...or on even rarer occasions a Legendary. Though those were extremely rare. Usually the only missions of that type were Pidgeot escort missions, high priority missions... or the feared 'Deep In Enemy Territory' missions. In each case you either succeeded... or you died pecking. Unfortunately... you usually died. Which was why it was given the dreaded S Class rank... otherwise known as Special...or Suicide Class.

For a mere Pidgey - flock or not - to receive such a mission - a rarity because; since they were usually unable to win against a Spearow, one against one, and would therefore have a low success ratio - well... it spoke volumes of just how important this mission was for the 'Top Beaks'.

Quietly the Pidgeyes listened to their 'Wing Alpha' speak.

::This mission is a search and protect mission...however, unlike the usual protection mission... it is 'not' to protect a Top-beak...but to protect another Pokémon instead:: the Pidgoetto spoke, stressing the word 'not'.

The Pidgeotto stopped speaking just long enough to allow the Pidgeys to digest the information and to quieten themselves down again. A 'S' Rank protection mission to protect anything other than a Pidgeot was practically unheard off.

::Yes...you heard right I did not miss-tweet or temporarily go insane...we are not protecting a Pidgeot. In fact...and I can hardly believe it myself, but...the Pidgeot who issued this particular order has given a direct order that, even if she were to come under attack, we are to protect this particular Pokémon at all costs...even at the cost of her own life::

Hearing this the Pidgeys froze in shock and one even fainted. Had their beaks been able to drop and touch the ground in amazement they would have done so.

::Who in the name of Arceus's hairy shiny eyebrows is more important than a Pidgeot...well...other than a legendary or Arceus himself?:: asked one of the Pidgeys, all decorum forgotten in her current shock.

The Pidgeotto shrugged. ::Wake him up...:: he said gesturing towards the fainted Pidgey. ::As to your question; I know about as much as you do... What I do know however is that this Pokémon is black, has white stripes...::

:: PIDGE! (WING ALPHA! ):: came the sudden high pitched voice of another Pidgey as she flew into the area, effectively interrupting the Pidgeotto's speech...

::Yes Swift-Beak what is it?:: the Pidgeotto asked, looking at the Pidgey scout, also known as a Swift-Beak due to their ability to fly swiftly and quickly to deliver important messages from one area to the next. Swift-Beaks were the scouts and delivery specialists of the Pidgey flocks.

::Sir! Priority Level Tweet from Roost-Five... a disturbance has been reported in sector six. Fearow wing sighted:: the Pidgey announced.

Hearing this all of the other Pidgeys instantly became nervous. A Fearow wing was the elite of the enemy side and usually always meant high casualties for their side. Hearing this the Pidgeotto stayed calm, although he definitely wasn't happy about the news either.

::All available beaks are herewith ordered to check out the area and to respond as required:: the Swift-Beak announced.

::Sir!...:: the Pidgey said, then paused for a second regaining the Pidgeotto's attention. ::The Watch-Beaks have also reported a Pikachu in the area. We are to rescue it if possible should it come under attack by the enemy:: the Pidgey reported.

The Pidgeotto nodded. He may not have shown it, but at that moment he was not happy with what he had just heard. Electric types were a great help in the battle against the Spearows. It would be a good idea to save it if at all possible. However...if it was a Fearow flock though... then all bets were off... and not in their favor.

::Any news from Chick-Sitter about Black-Chick?:: he asked.

::Negative, Sir! Same as before: Black-Chick has not been sighted...well not since she teleported away. Our orders concerning her remain unchanged and remain our highest priority even above the protection of the Top Beaks. If she is spotted we are to cease all other tasks or orders of any type and protect her at all costs:: the Pidgey responded.

Hearing this the Pidgeotto briefly nodded in acknowledgement. :: Acknowledged. Return to your other duties... dismissed:: he said then turned to face the other Pidgeys. ::You heard her...the Fearows won't kill themselves... though I sure wish they would...LET'S FLY!:: he ordered.

'Not that we could win against them anyway if we tried,' he thought, thinking of his little flock and their limited chances against an elite Fearow flock as he flew away.

A few seconds later every Pidgey in the area was the air. Their mission: to search and attack...if possible aid others and destroy a flock of Fearows. Not an easy task and most definitely suicidal. A few seconds later they were gone.

Ash, who had been too afraid to move while the birds were in the area, sighed in relief and crept out of his hiding place.

"Whew! That was too close. Had they seen me...well, better not think about it," he said to himself as he stretched, allowing blood to flow back into his cramped muscles. Without a Pokémon to protect him he would have been defenseless, if they had attacked him.

Seeing that he wouldn't be capturing that Pidgey anymore any time soon...if at all, Ash sighed slightly in defeat. Deciding to call it a day and return back home, he began to walk away. Tomorrow would be another day.

Ash had been walking for a few minutes when he suddenly heard the sound of a lot of angry cries, quite a few squawks and one loud ear piercing screech of pain, coming from deep inside the forest.

'Hmm...I wonder what's happening this time,' he thought to himself as he paused for a second, then continued to walk. He like everybody else who lived in Pallet town knew of the war between the Pidgeys and the Spearows. How could he not. All one had to do was walk into the Spearow side of the forest and you would be attacked on sight. It had been getting worse in the past few months, ever since that mysterious fire incident. The clearing still hadn't recovered from whatever had happened to it. Now there wasn't a day without at least some sort of story or report on the 'War Of The Birds,' as it was called. It was getting so bad that it was on the news. Ash was sure the area would have been swamped with reporters by now...if it wasn't for the simple fact that it was simply too dangerous. A few reporters had tried but they and their body guards were now in the Emergency Intensive Care Unit of Saffron General Hospital.

No one had tried since.

Incidents with 'the birds' happened so often that the local inhabitants had learned to ignore, yet also fear the frequent battles and had learned to avoid 'Spearow Land' whenever possible.

As it was, only trainers were allowed to even go near the forest as of late. Civilians didn't dare...well, at least not without a trainer escort and even then they were strongly discouraged.

'OK'...so the Spearows hadn't started attacking the town yet... and so long as they didn't, people would simply continue to ignore...or at least tolerate them, but everybody was already planing for the moment the pesky birds decided to expand their territory. When that happened, Pallet would have to be evacuated...maybe even abandoned completely, until the problem either solved itself, was solved by a G-man... or... if the situation got too bad, by the professional Army, which when mobilized, would unfortunately probably mean the extermination of the local bird life... not something anybody wanted to see happen.

Either way it would mean the end of Pallet Town as an accepted destination for trainers and would mean the end of it as a starting point for new trainers and Professor Oaks Lab in Pallet Town.

For a town like Pallet, that would be a disaster of the highest level, as their economy was built all around it being a starting point and Professor Oaks laboratory. If 'it' were to go... well... let's just say people would be better of elsewhere and Pallet, as a town, would disappear from the maps.

* * *

><p><strong><em>A few minutes later,<em>**

Ash was walking away, when he suddenly stopped walking and froze, his eyes widening slightly as if realizing something of extreme importance. For a few seconds he seemed to deliberate...even argue with himself, before finally, having evidently made up his mind, he turned around and began to walk towards the shrieks and squawks which could now be clearly heard.

'I know this might be the most stupid, idiotic, not to mention foolhardy thing I will ever do...and I will probably be grounded and not be able to sit down later, if I fail... but... where there is a battle there is almost guaranteed to be a fainted Pokémon. A fainted Pokémon is easy...or at least easier to catch than a healthy one. Fact is, I need a Pokémon... I won't get a better chance than this,' he mentally spoke to himself, mentally persuading himself to go ahead with his plan.

'As long as I wait until the battle is over and stay hidden until it is, I should be safe enough...at least I hope so,' he thought.

'Also, once I have a Pokémon it all won't matter if I entered the forest without one or not. Nobody need ever know that I didn't. It's a risk...oh yes, a big risk...but as the saying goes...no pain no gain...and while I do hope it won't come to the pain part...or worse...this is an opportunity I really can't miss. I only hope Mum doesn't start looking for me while I'm away, out in the forest, or that she somehow finds out about this. Because if she does...,' Ash flinched at the mere thought of what would happen if his Mom ever found out he had walked into the forest, on his own, without protection. People had died for less you know. Especially with the current bird crisis.

'I really hope this is all worth risking the forest...and her wrath,' he thought, as his hand subconsciously slid down to cover his rear end. The last time he had gone into the forest without permission...well...let's just say he hadn't done it since.

'I must be crazy to even consider this,' he thought again. 'If I don't make it back home tonight... if one of the town watch catches me outside the walls...or...if something happens to me...or I don't catch a Pokémon or...'

'NO!... Ash, shut up! Shut the hell up. Nothing it going to happen to you. Nothing is going to go wrong. Don't even think that way. You'll be fine,' he reassured himself nervously, or at least he tried to, as he neared the eastern town wall.

'But what if it does...go wrong. What if I do get hurt...or worse,' a part of his mind continued to nag him.

'I got to be,' he thought as he looked around for a member of the town watch. There were two near by. He waited for a few minutes, trying his best to act as normal as possible, then, the moment he was sure nobody was looking in his direction, he quickly climbed up onto the town wall.

'I better be...or I might as well kiss my licence good bye, until I'm eighteen...at minimum,' he added.

Taking one last quick look around, he jumped.

A few seconds and a brief sprint to the forest edge later, he stepped into the forest and disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back with Pika, after fleeing from the Fearows.<strong>_

Pikachu was not having a good day. In fact, one would not be wrong in saying; he was having a truly dreadful day. A day which was about to get a lot worse at any second, all thanks to the five Fearows and twenty Spearows which were currently chasing him from one area of the forest to the next.

He had been trying to outrun them for the past ten minutes now. Or at least, he had been trying to. Not that he was having much luck, as they were slowly but surely gaining on him. It was now only a matter of when, not if, they caught him.

Pikachu cursed as he realised he wouldn't be able to get away. They were simply better at navigating the forest than he was. Plus they had a lot of eyes looking for him at the same time, so hiding was also no option, as they were simply too many and far too close to even think about doing that. It was rather pointless trying to hide when your enemy could already see you. That left only one option: to fight.

'Why me! What did I do to deserve this? he asked himself.

Mentally he prepared himself for one last desperate stand... a fight he knew he couldn't win. But he damn well would give them the finest electric good-bye he could give, for as long as he could.

'Well...looks like this is it. Not the way I figured I'd go...but at least I'll go out fighting and not of old age in a Pokéball, he thought, first depressed, but then resigned. At least in his case he would be blessed with an honorable death...as a warrior. Other Pikachu had died for far less.

Deciding he had run enough, he forced a grin on his face then decided to attack.

A quick flip to the side, Pikachu dodged several incoming attacks, nearly getting clipped by the last, then without a second delay he braced himself and began to charge up an electric attack.

Seeing the imminent danger, one of the Fearows quickly ordered his wing mates to scatter. Hearing the command most of them dodged at the last second, just as Pikachu released a powerful Thundershock. He was holding nothing back.

One Fearow and four Spearows were unlucky and got hit by the attack, the others managed to dodge at the last millisecond. Even then they could feel the temporary heat of the attack as it warmed their backs to uncomfortable levels and in some cases even burnt a few feathers.

Temporarily loosing all control over their limbs the moment the electric attack hit it, the hit birds screeched loudly in pain, screeches which could be heard from miles away, then all of them proceeded to fall from the sky.

The other Fearows and Spearows winced in sympathy as they watched their wing-mates get fried but almost immediately turned their attention back to their electric opponent. They could worry about their fallen feathered colleagues later. For now they had an Electric rodent to exterminate.

Pikachu hardly had enough time to realise he had hit some of the pesky birds before the others were already upon him, scratching and pecking.

* * *

><p>Pikachu was in pain. Oh, how he was in pain. It was more pain than he had ever felt before in his whole life. Gritting his teeth, knowing that escape was impossible, that fighting back was his only option and that, unfortunately, the outcome of the battle was practically already a forgone conclusion, Pikachu decided to go out with a bang.<p>

Ignoring the ever increasing pain he was feeling as best as he could, he crouched down, then began to cover and overload his body with electricity. Slowly he charged up all he had left for one last massive attack.

Pi..PI..PiPipipi

Seeing the Pikachu start to spark and charge up for another attack, the remaining Fearows immediately stopped their attacks and disengaged. Others, who had not attacked yet, quickly swerved away and began to fly away. The less experienced Spearows soon followed.

PiiiiiiiIIIIIIII

::Brace for impact!:: one of the Fearows screeched out loudly in warning and immediately all of the remaining birds dodged into different directions, then braced themselves. Many of the weaker, less experienced Spearows screeched in panic...

Then...

PIKAAAA! CHUUUUUUUU!

* * *

><p>With Ash that very moment<p>

Ash was steadily running towards the sounds of battle, hoping to arrive in time to catch himself a fainted Pokémon - he didn't really care what type, when he suddenly heard the loud desperate battle-cry of a Pikachu.

Flinching in sympathy, he mentally saluted the obviously doomed electric rodent. He recognized that sound. He had heard it many times before. A small part of the Pokémon course was recognizing the different sounds Pokémon made. Whether they were happy, angry, enraged...or doing a mating ritual...it was important to know what you were dealing with.

This one was almost definitely the sound of a desperate Pikachu, one who was fully expecting to be defeated at any moment and was giving out all he had left to offer his attacker. Ash hoped it would be OK and solemnly vowed to heal and look after it once he caught it. That is...if the birds left anything behind for him to capture.

Ash was fantasizing about his future battles with said Pikachu, when suddenly the whole area suddenly erupted in a massive electric explosion. Before Ash even knew what was happening he screamed in alarm as he was suddenly blinded as the whole area was suddenly illuminated by a bright white electric light, then seconds later, the ground started to rumble and shake. He only had enough time to curse out loudly, before he was suddenly blasted off his feet by a shockwave as it tore through the area.

Crying out in alarm, he was was tossed aside like a rag doll and landed heavily on the ground, missing a near by tree by a mere inch as he fell. Dazed by his sudden unexpected tumble and fall, it took a few moments for him to clear his head from the after effects of the electric blast. Slowly, carefully, he checked himself for injuries. Finding only a few light scrapes and a few bruises, he sighed in relief, then shakily proceeded to pick himself off the ground.

Seeing some smoke rising from a small clearing a few hundred meters away, he quickly proceeded to head towards it, though at a much more cautious pace than before. He was nearly there when he suddenly heard the sound of numerous wings approaching. Knowing it was best if he hid, he quickly stepped into the limited cover of a near by tree, doing his best to use whatever cover he could find. That done he did his best to stay as still as possible.

Just in time, as a few seconds later, a small flock of Pidgeys flew past his hiding spot. Holding his breath, making doubly sure not to twitch a single muscle, he watched the birds continue to fly towards the battle area. Only when they were gone did he allow himself to relax again.

Ash let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and sighed in relief. He realized he was shaking.

'Maybe this really is a bad idea,' he thought to himself.

'NO..this IS a bad idea...not maybe...but IS,' he thought.

For a few seconds he thought about turning back, that it just wasn't worth the risk going forward, however, the thought of facing the guards...or worse his mother without a Pokémon - as evidence that he was not in the forest on his own - was enough to force himself to forget his newest traitorous thoughts.

He couldn't afford to get cold feet now. Not when he was so close to finally capturing his first Pokémon.

Deeming the situation safe...or rather safe enough to continue, he forced his shaky legs to follow the birds and continued on once more. He was afraid... Oh, he was afraid. He had never been this afraid in his whole life. His heart was beating a tango and he felt like crying, but continue on he would.

'I swear...if I survive this, ' he started to think, however he never finished his thoughts. Instead he forced himself to concentrate on his surroundings. He was fairly close now. He could smell and see the smoke. The smoke was just past those trees. 'Not too much longer now,' he thought, as he followed carefully, slowly creeping through a nearby bush, taking extra care to use any and all cover he could find.

Not too much longer and he'd have his first Pokémon...

At least he hoped he would. To come so far and to risk so much. Only to fail?

Unacceptable!

Taking a deep breath in a futile attempt to steady his nerves, Ash did his best to ignore the newest sounds of fierce battle originating from his destination, just on the other side of the bush. Slowly steeling his nerves as best he could for what was to come, he pushed forward...then through the bush.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Back with Pikachu<em>**

He saw them coming... Oh, he knew he should dodge them... But he didn't care. Not anymore.

His last attack had effectively taken out two more Fearow and twelve Spearow. Normally a great victory and more than he could have hoped for. Said birds were now lying on the ground having just joined their other fainted comrades, completely knocked out; forced into the land of dreams.

Taking out a total of three Fearows and sixteen Spearows by oneself was a respectable achievement...even if it was ultimately a defeat. Unfortunately a lone Pikachu like himself could only hope to do so much and no more. An electric type he may be. Powerful against flying types he may be. But even he couldn't hope to win against the combined might of five Fearow and twenty Spearow. At least not at his current level of strength. If he were a Raichu...then maybe...but not as a Pikachu.

'So.. I guess this is it. If this is how I am meant to die...then so be it,' he thought, a slight grim smile appearing on his lips as he slowly began to lose consciousness

Knowing that he had done all he could, Pikachu allowed himself a small mental laugh. It was the sarcastic laugh of defeat some warriors had when they knew their 'time' had come, they could see the enemy coming... and there was nothing they could do. This laugh was soon replaced by loud screams of pain...his screams, as the birds tore into him.

The last thing Pikachu saw was a few Pidgeys attacking his aggressors, but by then he was too far gone to care anymore. A small sigh of relief later, gratefully accepting the darkness, he allowed the 'black' to claim him and then he knew no more.

* * *

><p>The Pidgeotto of scout-flock sixty five was not a happy bird. Far from it. In fact, if anything, he was currently running out of swear words to use to satisfactorily express his personal view of the current situation.<p>

Just moments ago he had been happily searching - what he thought - was the wrong part of the forest, for the illusive Fearow flock he had been ordered to find...and if possible fight.

Yeah right! he had thought sarcastically. As if he would do that. Pigs would learn to fly first before he fought them!... he had told himself.

Like many others before him he knew perfectly well that he and his Pidgey's couldn't hope to defeat 'it', even on the best of days. Which was why he had his squad searching for 'them' in an area he thought they would not be. Seriously...it was what any sane Pokémon would do. It happened almost every day - look in the wrong place. (Though nobody would ever admit they did it on purpose.)

However...it was not to be. Luck it seemed, had abandoned them.

Finding a heavily injured, defeated, not to mention nearly dead ally, attacked by the same Fearows he had tried to avoid... well...that just changed everything.

Even worse...the Ally who was under attack by said flock of Fearows and Spearows..., just happened to be the same Pikachu he had been ordered to rescue...

That meant he was now even honor bound to help it and could not just simply retreat.

He would have cried...but didn't dare. Instead he settled on cursing furiously.

As it was there was simply nothing more he could do to get out of the current situation.

A direct order could after all not be so simply ignored. Not when the target...or in this case targets were already found. Especially not when an ally, of all things, was in mortal danger by said targets.

Sometimes life really sucked.

This was one of those times.

A moment in time which might well be his last.

It is always important to keep up good relationships with your ally...or allies, if your lucky enough to have them - especially those strong against your type.

As such, abandoning an electric type ally like a Pikachu, when you're a flying type, is not a smart move. Abandoning an ally in need does little to improve or indeed keep good relationships between said allies. And due to the ever intensifying war... a good relationship between your friends was vitally important.

The Pidgey Federation, as it was, could not afford to lose an ally...especially not one as powerful as the electric rodents. Not when the blasted Spearows were more powerful than their Pidgeys. The Pidgey Federation needed their electric allies. As such, the current situation was more than enough to ruin this old birds day and turn it into a one hundred percent nightmare.

The already horrible moment was only made worse by the mere fact that 'it' - the enemy they were facing - just happened to be a powerful full Elite Attack Squadron of Fearows. Some of the very best the enemy had to offer. Not something he, any other Pidgeotto... or indeed, any other flock leader of any type, for that matter, would ever want to see...or indeed fight.

Now, under normal circumstances he would have immediately ordered his Pidgeys to make an immediate retreat. After all, what could a mere scout flock of nine Pidgey's and one Pidgotto - ten birds in total - hope to do against a full 'FEAR Squadron'...an elite flock of five 'First Encounter Attack Recon' Fearows - the enemies shock troops - not to forget an added support flock of twenty Spearows, added on for some extra cannon fodder...

Considering that a Spearow usually won against a Pidgey and a Fearow usually always won against a Pidgeotto... Absolutely nothing, that's what.

Had it been a simple scouting mission...or a search and destroy, he would have simply said; 'to hell with this,' and then proceeded to get him and his squad, 'the hell out of dodge'... however, unfortunately, seeing as it was not the case, he did not have that privilege...nor indeed the right to do retreat at all.

Not now.

To retreat, without at least attempting the rescue of an ally, especially one he was ordered to save, would he a large stain to his honour...a black mark to the Federation... and would see him, almost certainly, cast out of the main flock.

No thanks! Not now...not ever!

He had been ordered to rescue the Pikachu if at all possible and as such he was therefore expected to at least try. Unless of course the situation was so obviously hopeless that there was simply no point.

Unfortunately, due to the single fact that the Pikachu had already taken out more than half of the flock, victory was now not hopeless...just highly improbable. Improbable did not necessarily mean impossible, which, in turn, meant there was still a chance...no matter how slim or futile that chance may be. He had to at least try.

Secondly, he damn well owed the Pikachu to at least try to rescue it after what it had just done. Taking out three Fearows and sixteen Spearows by oneself, was worthy of song...

Even if rescue wasn't possible he could at the very least try to retrieve the Pikachu's body, to give it a proper honorable send of the the halls of the creator, if all else failed.

If a few of his Pidgey's didn't make it because of that, then so be it. Well, he may not like it...but they were easily replaced...and it was not like there was a shortage of them in the forest either...Pidgey's were born almost every day and matured fast... unlike the Pikachu's who were quite rare and took months to grow up.

He would be damned if he just let the blasted Fearows have their way with it.

Last... but definitely not least...he had to at least try, simply because he knew very well, he and his flock wouldn't get a better chance than the current situation, to defeat this Fearow squad for a long time, if they didn't do it now.

The enemy was already severely weakened... weakened enough, in fact, that he and his Pidgeys might actually have a chance. A slim foolhardy chance...one with an almost definite chance of failure...perhaps...but still a chance nonetheless.

So, having finally decided to at least try, the Pidgeotto steeled his nerves, mumbled a final curse word, then quickly began to issue some orders.

::You:: he said pointing a wing towards one of his Pidgey's. Said Pidgey looked at him nervously. :: Sir?::

::Fly to the nearest Roost or Watch Point and get us some backup, pronto. We are going to need it, one way or another. Hurry!:: he ordered, stressing the last word. The Pidgey didn't need to be told twice. It was gone before he could blink, only leaving a single feather behind in it's haste and eager desire to get away.

Turning his attention to his remaining Pidgeys, seeing their nervous forlorn looks, the Pidgeotto mentally cringed. He was no fool. He knew perfectly well - and he knew they knew too - that there was a very high...almost definite chance, that they - himself included - would lose this battle. It was highly unlikely that even one of them would survive the night.

'What a waste,' he thought. There were so few of them... and so many of 'them'. It just wasn't fair. But who ever said that war was fair. Shaking his head slightly he continued:

::You five:: he said pointing towards five more of his Pidgeys. :: Attack the four remaining Spearows:: The five Pidgeys nodded, unhappily. One on one they knew they were doomed. Their only chance, slim as it was, lay with their fifth and final member. If he or she, somehow managed to help one of the other four take out a Spearow, then proceed to help the others... only then could they hope to have a chance.

Turning to the three remaining Pidgeys he said: ::The rest of you team up against one of the remaining Fearows...I... I will take on the last:: he finished with a clear visual cringe. The Pidgey's paled but nodded. Each and every one of them knew their leaders only hope was either: to receive help from the Electric rodent...or to gamble and hope the Fearow was injured enough to at least even the fight. Not good odds. Especially not when the electric rodent could keel over at any second.

::If I don't make it,:: he started to say - he didn't dare to say: 'When' I don't make it. It was after all a very high possibility - ::Do what you can until backup arrives:: the Pidgeotto finished, before turning his attention towards one of the Fearows. It seemed to have slight problems with a wing. Was it paralyzed? Oh, he really hoped it was. It would be just the advantage he needed to survive. Not win...survive.

::ATTACK!:: he squawked out loudly.

His orders given, not waiting to see if his Pidgey's heard him or not - he knew they did and he knew they would follow - he attacked. All the while he was hoping that he would somehow survive the night. Oh, who was he kidding... It was almost definitely a lost battle. Yet, he had to hope and trust that backup would arrive soon... It was his only hope of survival. Hope was all he had left now anyway.

Under no illusions that he could possibly win...at least not if it turned out to be a typical battle...he braced himself, flew towards one of the Fearows that was about to attack - and finish off - the Pikachu, and with a last millisecond satisfying thump, he knocked it out of the away.

Quickly recovering from the hit he turned to face his opponent. Maybe just maybe the Fearows was already weakened enough from fighting the Pikachu, so that he might have a chance to actually win this...even if it was simply a slim fools hope of a chance. He'd take it any day. Besides...there was always a chance that the Pikachu could help him.

It was at that moment that he saw the Pikachu faint and his heart sank.

'Well...it was a nice thought while it lasted,' he thought miserably, before he dodged a wing before it could hit him.

The fight was on.

One Pidgeotto and eight Pidgey's against two Fearow and four Spearow. Only one side would emerge victories... Only one side could hope to win.

The prize:...besides the honour of victory...one fainted Pikachu...and the chance to live for another day.

It was this scene Ash Ketshum saw as he emerged from the bush.

* * *

><p><strong><em>With Ash - that very moment.<em>**

Ash froze as he emerged from the bush. Almost immediately he wished he had listened to his 'angel half' and stayed at home. Above him a 'battle of the birds' raged on in full force and for once in his life he didn't know what to do. This was so far above his comfort zone, he nearly panicked on the spot, only holding himself together with sheer willpower alone. Even then it was touch and go for a second or two.

Sure, he had known to expect a battle... Pokémon didn't usually faint unless they fought, which usually meant a battle. The news were also full of the ongoing battles between the Spearows and Pidgey's...

But this was no mere battle... this was a full scale blood bath. A slaughter. A war if ever he saw one! Battles were fun...or meant to be...this was anything but fun. This was horrifying.

All around him, birds were pecking, squawking, scratching, screeching and trying to maul each others for all they were worth.

His consciousness was screaming at him to back away, to run and never look back; that this was a situation that was out of his control and that he shouldn't even be there in the first place. However, try as he might, he simply couldn't bring himself to move. His body simply refused to co-operate.

All he could do was stare, frozen in a mixture of shock, awe and horror, at the scene of extreme mortal airborne carnage, which was playing out in front of his young, no longer innocent eyes.

Neither side was showing any signs of giving up. Neither side was giving any mercy, or indeed showing any sign of willingly accepting any either. This was a one hundred percent battle to the death. No mercy...no honour...

Only death!

Ash gasped as one of the birds shrieked out in pain as it was suddenly pierced deeply by a glowing wing and he had to shut his eyes as he was suddenly splattered by blood as it rained down from the heavens. Another bird suddenly found its feathers ripped out of its body before it was torn apart. It was more than Ash could take. Seconds later he suddenly found himself ejecting the remains of his breakfast all over a near by tree.

This was not what he had thought being a trainer would be like. This was a nightmare. Pure and simple. He wanted to wake up. He prayed to wake up. However, he couldn't. He couldn't because it was real.

It was not looking good for the Pidgey side. Two of the Pidgeys were already out for the count and a third wasn't looking any better. At first it seemed they had the clear advantage of surprise... this surprise however was quickly negated by the superior power of the Spearows. It also didn't help that the Pidgeys seemed afraid and obviously not expecting a victory, while the Spearows were battle hardened warriors.

Ash could see it in the way they moved. The Spearows and Fearows were eager and sure of themselves...while the Pidgeys fought with self doubt and fear. Only the lone Pidgeotto seemed to be able to somewhat handle the might of the other side and was probably the only bird keeping the Pidgey side together...

Still, he had to respect the Pidgeys... they were so obviously outclassed, but they gave as good as they got.

Unwilling to stick around where he could be seen and attacked, Ash weakly forced his body to move one step then another and retreat back into the safety of the nearest bush. Back into the limited, yet adequate cover it provided. Once inside he weakly allowed himself to fall to the ground.

The experience had taking more out of him than he wanted to admit.

Quickly covering himself up as best as he could with whatever he could find, just the way he had been taught to do at the academy, he settled down. Sometimes it was better to stay hidden than to run...especially when against birds who could easily see you run from above.

Satisfied that he wouldn't be seen, as long as he didn't move too much, he began to wait.

* * *

><p>The Pidgeotto grunted in pain as he was hit once again by his adversary, the Fearow. He just knew he was going to feel that one in the morning...if he survived the night at all that was.<p>

Things were not looking good for his side, just as he had expected.

Already in the first few minutes alone he had lost two of his Pidgey's, in the most gruesome of ways. Two of the three he had ordered to attack the other Fearow had already been defeated. But that was to be expected really.

They were simply no match against the might of the battle hardened Fearow.

How could they be. If a Pidgeotto like himself wasn't expected to win against a Fearow, then how could a Pidgey or three, be expected to win. After all, it took at least three of them to win against a Pidgeotto...

A Pidgeotto was no Fearow... Fearows were more dangerous than a Pidgeotto usually could ever hope to be.

Only a Pidgeot, or trainer trained Pidgeottos could hope to fight against a Fearow, one on one, and expect to see the next day.

Very rarely, even an occasional highly trained pidgey could win... but that was rare. Such was the power of a trained Pokémon and the main reason why a lot of Pidgeys - or other Pokémon,- sometimes allowed themselves to be caught.

As it was, he was thankful that at least the Pidgey's ends had been quick.

Sure, he had hoped superior numbers could win...somehow...somewhere, in his hopes... and his dreams... in his wildest fantasies... but...

Sometimes quantity just wasn't enough when dealing with sheer pure superior quality.

This was sadly just one more of those unfortunate times.

Wincing as he heard another loud piercing death cry, this time from the third Pidgey, he sighed in defeat. Out of the corner of his eye he could briefly see the third Pidgey fall and crash into the hard unforgiving ground, clearly defeated.

That Fearow was ruthless.

It was at that moment he knew the battle was lost.

'Looks like today was just another good day to die,' he thought morosely, as he allowed himself a quick look to assess the situation, before briefly, allowing himself a small proud smile.

'Well...at least 'they' seemed to be holding their own, if only barely', he thought as he looked towards his remaining Pidgeys.

One of the Spearows had just been defeated and the two victorious Pidgeys were now battling together, using perfect team work, against one of the other Spearows in a three against one battle. The Spearow would not be able to combat the combined strength of three Pidgeys for long.

Sure enough a few seconds later, it too lost consciousness. A second later it fell to the ground, its head torn off, where it then proceeded to land with a nice satisfying meaty thump, its head following its body a second later, as feathers and blood rained, in small squirts, down from the sky .

Unfortunately, sadly, at that very same moment one of the others Pidgeys was also defeated, which meant it was now four Pidgeys verses two Spearows... not to forget the other Fearow.

He knew the Pidgeys should be able to win now...against the Spearows. The Spearows they could defeat... too bad the same couldn't be said about the Fearow.

As it was, their hard fought victory wouldn't mean much once the Fearow joined the fray.

Realizing the desperate situation for what it was, the Pidgeotto quickly accessed the situation once more.

Suddenly his eyes widened.

He had a plan. A foolhardy plan. But still a plan. Could it be done? The Fearow had after all taken 'some' damage from the three first Pidgeys.. Not much, true, but still...

Ah who was he kidding. It was now two Fearow and two Spearow verses himself and his remaining four Pidgey's... terrible odds.

As it was, it was in short nothing else but a small miracle that so many of his had survived, at all. He and the others had already gone way beyond the call of duty. Nobody would blame him for retreating... not now. Not when the outcome of the battle was so glaringly unforgivably obvious.

He knew there had only been a slim chance of victory. A slim one...but still a chance. Alas...he knew his only real hope, from the very beginning, had only ever been the arrival of reinforcements.

'Speaking about reinforcements...where the hell were they?' he wondered. They should have been here by now.

* * *

><p>Lying quietly in his hiding place, Ash did his best to stay as still as a mouse, surrounded by multiple hyper sensitive mouse traps. He didn't dare to even twitch.<p>

Two quarters petrified, one quarter scared, one eight sad and the final eight horrified out of his wits, he watched, tears in his eyes as the battle of the two warring bird clans neared it's closing stage.

He didn't need to be a Pokémon expert like the professor to realize that the Pidgeys and the Pidgeotto were defeated. It was now simply only a matter of time.

It was rather sad really. He cringed each time a bird fell in battle, Pidgey or Fearow, it didn't matter...

'This is terrible' he thought. "Why are they doing this? he asked himself. To see such - for him - senseless slaughter. It was more than any ten year old could comprehend.

'It shouldn't be this way,' 'Why are they fighting. Why can't we all simply just get along?' Those were just some of the questions he asked himself.

Watching the battle he could clearly see who the victor of this fight would be.

The Pidgeys had fought well all things considered. But why didn't they retreat? he asked himself. It was what he would do. It was clear they were severely outclassed. So why did they continue this meaningless - to him - fight?

He had to respect their dedication... but to fight for nothing...

It at that moment that Ash saw the downed Pikachu and he finally understood.

'I see... so they are protecting the Pikachu! his mind exclaimed. Suddenly his respect for the Pidgeys rose to new heights and he began to hate the Spearows and Fearows.

He really wished he could save the Pidgeys and Pidgeotto...help them...anything. But what could he possibly do? He didn't even have his own Pokémon yet.

Ash could do nothing but watch as the Pidgeotto seemed to accept its fate. But he didn't want to... he didn't want to accept it. He didn't want the Pidgeotto to die... But what, just what could he...a young boy possibly do?

* * *

><p>The Pidgeotto had just about given up all hope. The odds against him and his squad were simply too great. He was already mentally apologizing to the fainted Pikachu and just about to call for a general retreat, to what was left of his side, when he suddenly noticed the Fearows change their strategy.<p>

They seemed to be tired...afraid even. Could it be? If yes... then he might yet have a chance after all.

Suddenly the Fearows started to fly towards the fainted Pikachu.

Seeing this the Pidgeotto flinched, then cursed as he realized what was happening. He could not allow that to happen. Not now...not after he and his flock had fought so hard to save it with their very lives. Not if he could help it anyway. Not when they were so close to victory... or so it seemed. To lose now when they were so close... Not on his watch.

Knowing he had no choice, seeing the second Fearow already turning to fly towards the Pikachu, to finish it off, the Pidgeotto quickly dodged another attack and made up his mind.

He would have to gamble his own life in the hope that he could yet somehow save the Pikachu's...and maybe some others as well...and if Lady Luck was on his side he might just be able to take out the Fearows as well...

If they were as tired as they seemed that is. If not well... then he would simply soon be just another casualty of this pointless war.

There was no other way... if there ever was in the first place. As much as he hated to admit it, he would just have to gamble and hope he could somehow survive long enough for the help to arrive. Talking about help...where the hell was his reinforcements? he wondered.

He himself did not believe that he would somehow survive the fight himself, however, his sense of duty would not allow himself to simply give up. Not now.

Now this is were it became tricky. He could see two possible outcomes:

In one situation the Fearows would continue to attack the Pikachu and ignore him... that would be unfortunate...and very troublesome. In this case he would have no choice but to block the Fearows attacks with his own body - a suicidal move... Or he could somehow carry the Pikachu away out of danger. Either way he would be heavily damaged...if not mortally wounded...

It was inevitable.

On the other and - the one he would prefer - the Fearow could ignore the Pikachu and decide to help it's wing-mate against him instead...

While bad for his health it would give the Pikachu the small chance it needed to survive, in the hope that those blasted reinforcements would arrive before he was defeated. It was a fools hope but still better than nothing.

As for him...well...he would try to stall the Fearows for as long as he could...and then...well...

'Yes...today was indeed a good day to die,' he thought.

Let's hope they choose option 'B' and attack me...for your sake' he thought, giving the fainted Pikachu a quick mental salute. I just hope your worth it,' he mentally added.

'Where the hell are those blasted reinforcements,' he mentally screamed again.

Making sure that the Fearows could clearly see him, giving them a clear provocative gesture and even going so far as to give them a perfect opening to hit him... he flew towards the Fearow, closest to the Pikachu...and proceeded to ram him, taking the Fearows attack meant for the Pikachu instead.

'My moms going to worry when I don't make it home tonight,' was his last thought, ridiculous as is was for a fully groan bird, like himself, just before he felt pain the likes he had never felt before, as the Fearow's attack hit.

Unable to effectively compensate, the Pidgeotto screeched out as pain overwhelmed him. The next moment, unable to move, his body started to fall.

* * *

><p>Looking back at the situation years later, Ash would never understand why he did what he did next. It was, in short, one of the most foolish and suicidal things he would ever do.<p>

It is said that some people do crazy things, stupid things...nearly always without thinking, during stressful situations. There are stories of soldiers... scared privates, who had never shown any real bravery in their lives, suddenly running out into enemy fire to rescue a downed comrade. These individuals are later on called the hero's of war, hero's who risked life and limb - if they were successful... or the idiots who foolishly ran out of cover and got shot, if not.

Whatever the reason it was for Ash, fact was, at the moment he saw the Pidgeotto fall, clearly knocked out, something in him snapped. Suddenly compelled to help...unable to accept the Pidgeotto's defeat; he left his hiding space and recklessly ran towards the falling Pidgeotto.

The Fearow was so surprised and shocked by the suddenly incoming human missile of sorts that it squawked in fright, momentarily lost control and promptly flew into a near by tree, hitting its head of a branch.

By the time it had recovered and untangled itself several seconds later, Ash had already caught the falling Pidgeotto, saving it from almost certain death, only for Ash to fall to the ground a split second later, as the sudden weight of the bird overwhelmed his ten year old body.

Seeing it's partner crash into the tree the other Fearow, enraged by what had just happened, forgot all about the Pikachu and turned its attention towards the human instead.

It took a few hesitant seconds for the Fearow to decide what to do. Humans - especially trainers, or rather, their Pokémon - were after all dangerous. In the end however, seeing as the human seemed to be alone, it decide to attack.

Ash, realizing what he had just done something incredibly stupid and very detrimental to his health, saw the obviously angry Fearow fly towards him and did what most ten year old would do in such a situation; he screamed like the little ten year old he was and, scrambling to his feet from where he had fallen, began to run.

* * *

><p>Ash never thought he would ever be thankful for all the physical exercise classes he and the others had been forced to take during their time in the Pokémon Academy. Back then he used to hate those compulsory classes and try to avoid them whenever he could. The instructor was a sadist - at least he had thought so - and their had not been a day where he had not been exhausted. He's have to thank the old man if he ever could out of this mess.<p>

Now...now he was just thankful that he had taken them, forced or not. At that moment, running away from the Fearow, a Fearow who wanted to maul him... he just knew...had he not taken them...well...he didn't want to think about it.

Even now he was just barely able to stay ahead of the angry Fearow behind him.

Suddenly Ash tripped. Horrified at what had just happened he let his instincts take over and frantically rolled to the side, just in time, as a mere second later the Fearow missed and dashed past where he had just been.

Looking around wildly for a way to escape, any way at all, Ash immediately scrambled back to his feet and rushed for the nearest bush. It was only then, when he was back in the relative safety of the bushes, that he remembered, with a horrified pang of dread; in his haste to save himself, that he had left the Pidgeotto behind.

Horrified with what he had just done, he turned to look back.

* * *

><p>The Pidgeotto could only watch in horror at what had just happened. At first he had been surprised. It wasn't exactly everyday that a human risked themselves to rescue a Pokémon from almost certain death. Especially not when it put their own lives at extreme risk of an early...not to mention painful end. The only humans who sometimes did that were trainers... and even then usually only for their own Pokémon...and even then usually only for worthy life long and proven partners.<p>

A few minutes ago he had fully expected to die... he knew the moment he had been hit and had lost control that he was 'done for,' in every aspect of the word and had accepted his fate. Then, suddenly, when the human had caught him he had felt hope once more. Maybe it wasn't all over with him after all.

Oh, he knew that it most likely meant that the human would capture him...but that was far better than death. If the human did capture him then he would gladly accept it.

But then disaster struck once more. To save his own life, the human had abandoned him to the tender mercies of the Fearows.

How typical.

The Pidgeotto sighed. Well, he hadn't really expected anything different really. He couldn't really blame the human either. Truthfully he probably would have done the same. Still...that didn't change the fact that he was now back to being pecked and scratched to death. It wasn't like he could escape. His wing was broken.

Talking about death...he could already see the Fearow on its way to finish him off.

Accepting his ultimate fate for the second time that day, he closed his eyes and waited for the final pain to come.

Only it never came. Confused he opened his eyes once more and gaped as only a Pidgeotto could, with beak wide open in disbelief at the sight before him.

* * *

><p>In a rare moment of clarity Ash had the sudden idea to throw a Pokéball at the Pidgeotto. It was the only way he could think which could actually save the birds life at that moment. There was no way he was going to go out and risk himself again. The first time had nearly ended in disaster. He didn't even know why he had done that the first time.<p>

Quickly taking out and activating one of his Pokéballs, he quickly took aim and let it fly.

The Fearow, who had given up on the human as soon as he had disappeared into the bush - it was rather difficult to fly inside a bush after all - had turned its attention back to the Pidgeotto and was half way back to give it it's own personal Fearow-ish brand of farewell, when suddenly...

Imagine its surprise when it suddenly got struck across the head by an incoming Pokéball...which promptly proceeded to turn it into red light energy.

* * *

><p>The Pidgeotto couldn't believe what had just happened.<p>

Just a moment ago he had fully believed his last moment had finally come...for the second time that day...then, as if answering his prayers, he had seen the incoming Pokéball and had eagerly awaited it's life saving presence with wide open wings.

But now...

'Veni...Vidi...and I can hardly believe my eyes,' he thought as he watched the Fearow get sucked into the Pokéball instead. A ball which he knew was meant for him.

He had seen it come...he had clearly recognized the balls destination... it was for him, not the Fearow. The Fearow however, obviously, had not seen it and had flown right into its way.

'That's the second time the human has saved my life now,' he thought. What next... a flying pig in the sky? He looked up to check, but couldn't find one.

* * *

><p>Ash was also surprised with what had just happened but in the end he shrugged. The bird was a Pokémon. While he liked Pidgeys and Pidgeottos more than Spearows and Fearows... he had still caught himself a Pokémon.<p>

Or so it seemed.

It took a few seconds for him to fully realize that it was his first Pokémon. He had caught his first Pokémon. He was now an official trainer.

His fear of the surrounding dangers momentarily forgotten, he began to cheer... quietly.

His sudden moment of euphoria however was squashed almost instantly into oblivion when the wobbling Pokéball suddenly burst open to eject the once freshly caught Fearow. Much to Ash's dismay which he announced quite vocally with a loud resounding "No way!"

Needless to say, it didn't take a genius to recognize that the Fearow was pissed.

The Pidgeotto, fearing for his life once more, for the third time that day, noticed that the Pokéball had landed and rolled close to his current position.

Seeing no other alternative out of its current mess, he took one look at the Pokéball, then another at the, once again, furious, out for blood, incoming Fearow and quickly made up its mind.

'Better the ball, than him'!

Unwilling to look at the size of a proverbial gifted worm...or in this case the Pokéball, he stretching out his neck just far enough to touch the still active Pokéball, then quickly pecked it, willing himself inside. Just in time to narrowly escape the incoming enraged Fearows might who, once again, surprised by his disappearing target, crashed into the ground a mere mili-second later, effectively knocking the angry bird out.

* * *

><p>Ash was greatly disappointed when the Pokéball released the Fearow from it's grasp.<p>

The sudden disappointment which usually followed an unsuccessful capture, however, didn't last long when an uncaught unwilling Fearow was suddenly replaced by a very eager Pidgeotto.

This time the Pokéball didn't even twitch, before he heard the tell tale chime of a successfully captured Pokémon. It was, in short, a flawless capture.

Seeing the Fearow was knocked out, Ash quickly readied another ball and threw it. The opportunity it seemed, was just too good to miss.

Unfortunately for Ash, luck and fate had other ideas. The Fearows comrade-in-wings had watched his first attempt and was not about to let the human capture his feathered friend.

Just fast enough to block the ball before it could reach its target, he quickly knocking the ball away from its partner.

That done, the Fearow screeched in anger and briefly glared towards Ash's general direction, before turning its eyes towards the first Pokéball and began to move towards it.

Ash, realizing the second birds intentions were less than favorable for the ball...and the Pokémon inside, cried out in dismay. He was not about to let the blasted Fearow proceed with its fiendish plan. At least not without a fight. That was 'his' Pokémon inside the ball. Without thinking he did the first thing that came into his mind. He picked up a stone...took aim and threw it.

Sensing the incoming projectile the Fearow quickly dodged the stone and screeched loudly in anger. Now really enraged it abandoned the Pokéball and started to move towards Ash's hiding spot.

Ash, now very afraid and not sure if the bush could provide enough protection from a dedicated enraged bird, started to crawl backwards. By throwing the stone he may have saved the Pokéball temporally from danger, however the same could not be said for himself. The bush may give him some protection - not much, but some - but a dedicated Pokémon could and would break through it and find him...

Warily watching the bird, Ash prepared to run for his life, at the first sign of an attack.

* * *

><p>Angry bird and scared human child stared into each others faces.<p>

Like an eagle looking at a rabbit, the bird glared and screeched, obvious anger in its eyes...while the boy shivered and crawled a step back.

Oh, the little boy knew he shouldn't show fear... the academy teachers had told them that bit of advice again and again... but... seriously...how was he supposed to act fearless when he was about to be attacked and pecked to death by an overgrown enraged and extremely vicious, 3'11" tall Fearow. He was anything 'but' fearless. He was scared out of his mind.

Sweat falling from his face, his body overflowing with adrenaline, there was no way Ash could 'not' show some fear.

The next thing he knew, the Fearow screeched out and attacked. Screaming out in pure terror, Ash began to crawl away, ignoring the sudden wetness of his pants in his desperate attempts to get away.

Slowly but surely, one strike of the Fearows wings later, then another, Ash's cover was destroyed as the Fearow moved forward to get closer to its prey. Faster than Ash could crawl through the bushes the bird was upon him.

Was this his end? he wondered. Was it his fate to die, here, right now, in this very forest, just when he had finally become a trainer? he asked himself, tears of fright and horror falling from his face... Then a large shadow covered him up.

Expecting the worst Ash closed his eyes and waited.

* * *

><p>AND...CUT!<p>

This is a good...and annoying place to stop the chapter.

I had planed to have Destiny get together with Ash in this chapter...but... it was not to be.

That part will now take place in the next... at least I hope so!

I had also debated whether to make this chapter into two parts but then decided to leave it as one large chapter.

Happy Christmas!

Until next time!

Please read...and very important: PLEASE ENJOY!...

Oh!...and if you have the time...please review as well... I like those! :-)


	14. First Encounter - Fearow Down

**A/N:** Well... It's been a long wait. A full year...maybe even more.

Well...I apologize for the long wait...I won't however bother explaining myself...I don't think you want to hear my excuses anyway... So I'll just make it short:

To any returning readers I say welcome back...to any new I say welcome... and to both I'll add: I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story.

I will try to update more often...but no promises.

Now...on with the show.

* * *

><p><strong>Warning:<strong> Blood, Death, Angst and Gore in this chapter.

If at anytime you feel I should upgrade the story rating to M please tell me.

I want to keep it downgraded for as long as possible though.

:: Pidgey's to me!:: = pokéspeech

(((I am a pokédex))) = pokédex speech

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on Paradox:<strong>

* * *

><p>Angry bird and scared human child stared into each others faces.<p>

Like an eagle looking at a scared rabbit, the bird glared and screeched, obvious anger in its eyes...while the boy shivered and crawled a step back.

Oh, the little boy knew he shouldn't show fear... the academy teachers had told them that bit of advice again and again... but... seriously...how was he supposed to act fearless when he was about to be attacked and pecked to death by an overgrown enraged and extremely vicious, 3'11" tall Fearow. He was anything 'but' fearless. He was scared out of his mind.

Sweat falling from his face, his body overflowing with adrenaline, there was no way Ash could 'not' show some fear.

The next thing he knew, the Fearow screeched out and attacked. Screaming out in pure terror, Ash began to crawl away, ignoring the sudden wetness of his pants, in his desperate attempts to get away.

Slowly but surely, one strike of the Fearows wings later, then another, Ash's cover was destroyed as the Fearow moved forward to get closer to its prey. Faster than Ash could hope to crawl through the bushes the bird was upon him.

Was this his end? he wondered. Was it his fate to die, here, right now, in this very forest, just when he had finally become a trainer? he asked himself, tears of fright and horror falling from his face...

Then a large shadow covered him up.

Expecting the worst Ash closed his eyes and waited.

* * *

><p><strong>And now...the long awaited continuation:<strong>

* * *

><p>PARA( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)DOX<p>

First Encounter - Fearow Down

* * *

><p>Ash waited!<p>

Then waited some more.

It was not like he had any other options at that moment anyway.

Well, 'OK'...to be fair; he could have run, or at least, he could have tried to run. He could have tried to hide...he could even have tried to fight. Not that it would have done him much good. The bird behind him was simply faster than him...much stronger than him... and it was not like he could actually fight the blasted thing.

Well, at least not effectively.

That's the thing about humans:...

They are both; at the top...but also at the bottom half of the food chain, both at the same time.

A fully trained soldier, with powerful weapons and equally powerful technology to back him or her up; is probably most dangerous being you'll ever meet. However, an untrained fat, unfit civilian...or indeed a small child; is probably one of the easiest prey of all...

Unfortunately for Ash, he was just a child...and therefore, one of the easier prey.

He had therefore no illusions what so ever, that the angry bird, who's shadow was currently covering him, would somehow not attack him.

Ash knew... all the Fearow had to do was; lift its wing, aim for his neck and then bring it down in one viscous guillotine like strike.

It would all be over and as quick as that.

Game Over!

You Suck!

You Lose!...

Oh, and did I mention...You don't get to try again!...

Just thought I'd mention that too.

Unfortunately, unlike in games, there is no 'save' or 'let's try again' option in life.

There is no cheat code or indeed 'God Mode' to help you along once you get sick of losing too many times.

Life is not a game. As such, once your out, that's it. Your well and truly out!

At least, that's how it usually would be... unless of course you have a friendly God on your side, one who is somehow in the mood to give you another chance.

In this case they usually always want something in return for that said, 'second chance.'

But what are the chances of that happening? Not usually good to say the least.

For Ash, even at the tender age of ten, just like any other child his age in the pokémon world; he already fully understood that simple rule.

Life in the pokémon world, is fragile... Life in the pokémon world is precious..., it is dangerous...and sometimes, -if you were a... 'stupid,' and unprepared trainer,- also very, very short. So short in fact, that young children are taught the dangers of the world from the moments they are old enough to understand them. In fact, it was mandatory for schools to teach how to survive in the pokéworld wilderness.

The pokémon world, contrary to what many like to believe, is in fact a harsh place...

It had always been and everybody, from the old, to the young, had long ago accepted that.

It's for this very reason, why trainers; the 'protectors' of the pokémon world, were so respected by the ordinary folk. They risked their lives...daily, so that others may live in peace.

Ash, for his part, had also entered the forest, fully understanding the dangers waiting for him inside.

Indeed, unwilling to wait another year for the next batch of 'Starter' pokémon, as he should have done, he had entered the forest and the dangers inside, fully understanding that it may very well be the most stupid, not to mention the last stupid thing, he'd ever do.

Oh, of course, he had hoped he would be wrong. He had gambled...he had hoped he'd be lucky; to be able to capture a pokémon and get back home in one piece...or if need be with only a few scratches and maybe a bruise or two...

Unfortunately... that did not seem to be the case, and if the angry Fearow standing above him was any indication...he was now, well and truly, all out of luck.

Ash cursed himself for ever venturing out into the forest and for a brief second he released a strangled sob. If only he had listened and obeyed the rules. They were there for a reason. Oh, if only he had stayed in the safety of the town, like he was supposed to do.

He cursed his impatience...

At that very moment he swore to take his future studies and training seriously...or as seriously as he could. No more lazing around... no more skipping out from boring classes...

That is, if he somehow managed to survive through the next few moments. Something he, unfortunately, heavily doubted he would.

His mind plaguing him with terrible images of death; his own death to be precise, he desperately tried to calm his mind and 'take it like a man would'. An impossible task...but...it was all he had left. Then again...would taking it like a 'Man' make it any different?

And so he waited. He waited the final wait of the doomed... for the final strike to come...

Only... it never came.

It never came because, unknowingly to Ash, it was not yet his time.

Having just witnessed the human risk his own life, to save that of their, now former 'captain'... a trio of Pidgeys, having only just won their earlier battles against a few Spearows,...decided to intervene and attack the Fearow.

And so, in a classic misguided display of honour and extreme loyalty towards their captain, as well as suicidal cannon fodder-ish foolish bravery; to save their now 'former' captains new trainer; Ash was spared to live...

The only question was...

For how long!

* * *

><p>It all happened in three split seconds.<p>

The Fearow was just powering up its wing to deliver its favorite attack; a Steel Wing attack, in a crushing finishing blow to the humans neck,hoping to cleave it in two, when...suddenly, as if out of the blue, three Pidgey's... all that was left from the earlier 'scout wing' (besides the now captured, heavily injured Pidgeotto), tackled the Fearow, one after the other, knocking it to the side.

The first impact didn't hurt the Fearow much. Correction, besides a small sting, it didn't really hurt him at all. It did however redirect his strike, just enough to miss Ash's neck... by a mere half an inch.

The second impact, while still little more in terms of pain or damage than the first attack, was just enough to push the Fearow away from said boy, causing the Fearow to stumble back a step. It was however still nothing more than a small nuisance to the large bird, who gave out a rather irritated squawk to show his sudden displeasure to the situation.

The final attack however, hit the Fearow, in a 'bulls eye' direct hit, right in a certain soft side of its underbelly.

Now THAT the Fearow did feel.

His eyes bulging, briefly in severe pain and out of air by the sudden strike, gasping and coughing as he tried to recover from the strike, the Fearow turned his attention away from the cowering form of Ash, right towards the three attacking Pidgey's, where he then proceeded to give all three a very fierce angry glare.

A glare promising extreme hate fueled 'overkill' X rated retaliation.

The three answering gulps from the pidgey's were nearly audible. It was as if the Pidgey's had only just fully realised, just what it was, they had managed to piss off.

It was big...It was furious...

More importantly...if was out for their blood...and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Indeed, a few seconds later, the Fearows retaliation was decisively swift.

Enraged that he had, once again, been thwarted, by three weak Pidgeys no less, the much more powerful and way more experienced Fearow, flew straight into the air, then, engaged the three pidgey's in a short, fast, furious, decisive, one sided slaughter.

So out matched were the pidgey's, by the ferociousness and skill of the enraged, and out for blood, crazed Fearow, as he slashed first right, then left, then right again, that the whole encounter took little more than a few short seconds.

Heads were cut, then fell. Wings were plucked and shredded. Feathers were left to float to the wind and cries of panic filled the air. The Fearow, overcome with rage, kept on attacking the now lifeless corpses of three former poor Pidgey's. The Pidgey's, all barely above lvl 5, never held a ghost of a chance against the overwhelming power of the lvl 22 Fearow.

Those few precious seconds, however, were just enough time for Ash to realise that; 'yes,' his final moment had not come just yet... and that 'yes,' he really had just received a short moment of reprieve, just enough for him to make a hasty retreat.

Or at least that's what he should have done, were it not for the fact that he was not about to leave without his new all important -to him- pokémon.

Instead of running away, to live and fight for another day, as any sane person would have done, he ran, not to get away, but towards his pokéball and the all important pokémon inside instead.

By the time he had picked it up, the Fearow had finished 'executing' the Pidgey's.

Covered in feathers and fresh blood not his own, he was currently looking around for his 'other' prey once more.

A truly fearsome sight.

It was also at this moment that Ash realised just what had happened to the poor Pidgey's that had, just moments ago, saved his life.

Needless to say he was shocked.

* * *

><p>Ash stared, eyes wide, at what had just happened to the pidgey's. All he did, at that moment, was stare at the numerous scattered remains of his dead, mutilated saviors.<p>

Shock, grief, anger and extreme fear, flashed through him as he looked; from the Fearow, to the numerous parts of the dead Pidgey's, then back to the Fearow again. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't want to believe it.

Slowly he shock his head in denial... 'this couldn't be,' he thought. But it had.

Then, for the first time in his life, Ash felt something different.

For the first time in his life, he felt true pure...

Hate!

It was important to note that up until that very moment Ash had lived a somewhat fairly sheltered life. A life away from most harm...never allowed to do anything dangerous by his mother, never allowed to come to any real harm...

Up until this moment he had had no real reason to really dislike anything...besides maybe the constant nagging of his mother... especially not to such an extent that he actually wanted to kill it...

Until now...

At that moment, as he stared at the Fearow, and the remains of his saviors and the gloating Fearow near by, his fear was suddenly replaced by anger...and an overwhelming need for revenge.

At that moment, unable to think clearly, all he wanted was to end the blasted birds life.

* * *

><p><em><strong>At that very moment in the hall of origin<strong>_

Arceus groaned as he suddenly felt a sudden slight pain and winced as he felt a sudden strong 'dark' feeling coming from the human realm.

Something 'bad' had just happened...or was happening to one of his chosen ones. It was happening at that very moment.

Briefly turning some of his divine attention away from his efforts to keep his 'other half' out of said human realm, he wondered what could possibly have happened to cause such a shift of power from the light to the dark. What could cause such negative feelings in one of such purity?

Sighing to himself he decided against intervening at this time. He could not afford to do so again. At least not after just rescuing his other chosen one from the rockets. At least, not from the halls of origin.

If he were physically in the human realm it wouldn't have been a problem...but here...

Every time he did so, Arceus knew, 'He' would manage to briefly interact and influence something or someone in the human realm.

Who knows what 'he' would do if given half a chance.

Besides...he couldn't always be there for them. He had his children for that.

He'd just have to wait, hope and trust that his chosen ones were up to the challenge.

Besides...Mew was with Destiny...

He had placed Destiny close to Pallet town...and therefore close to Ash.

He'd just have to trust that everything would work out for the best.

'Yes...that would have to do,' he told himself as he refocused all of his attention on Suecra.

It was all he could do at the moment.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back with Ash<strong>_

All thoughts of escape were gone from his mind.

His fear was suddenly replaced by a sudden overwhelming need to 'kill' the Bird in front of him.

But how? The same problem as before remained.

What could he do against a bird like that? How could he possibly win?

Faced with a seemingly hopelessly impossible task, it was only the pidgey's sacrifice, the fact that they had helped him, that they had sacrificed themselves for 'Him,' that somehow gave him the necessary strength and courage he needed to face the blasted bird.

After all, if they could do it, then surely so could he.

Right?

He felt he owed them that much, didn't he? he thought to himself.

A few thoughts of doubt entered his mind, willing him to run, as he now realised he should have done a few minutes ago, but he soon ignored them.

Running would do no good now.

Not now. Not anymore.

The blasted bird was simply too fast for that.

NO!...

Running away now would do no good.

That left only one option...

To fight.

And fight he would! Even if the outcome was almost certain death, he would fight.

It was all he could do now anyway.

Looking at his pokéball in his hands, Ash deliberated with himself whether to bring his new pokémon out...to fight bird with bird, but discarded the idea almost as soon as it came to his mind.

It did not seem like a good idea.

He had seen what that Fearow had done to the Pidgotto earlier. He had seen the injuries his Pidgotto had received. He knew his new ally was in no shape to fight, or indeed win against the very same Fearow who had won, so easily, against it a few minutes ago.

Especially not when it already had a broken wing.

NO! He was on his own...at least for now, and that meant he would have to look for another way to fight. Another way to survive.

But what? What could he possibly do against...'that,' he wondered, fear returning to him quickly, as the Fearow took a deliberately slow step forward as if to say, 'I'm in no haste to kill you, it's not like you can escape anyway.' Something which, Ash realised, to his increasing dismay, was unfortunately all too true.

The blasted bird was right. There was no escape and Ash knew it too.

Not willing to simply give up, his heart speeding up to an almost impossible speed, Ash knew, he didn't have much time to think up a way to fight this thing. He needed to think of something...anything, quickly...

But once again the all important question displayed it's ugly annoying head...

What could he, a human child, possibly do against...that?

Suddenly Ash noticed a sharp, pointy stick on the ground. Unable to think of anything else that could possibly help him, and out of time to look for another, better solution, he quickly picked the stick up and brandished it like a weapon, waving it around, hoping and praying to anyone who'd listen, that it could somehow help him survive.

Alas, it was not to be. The Fearow, noticing the dinky little twig in his preys hands, smirked briefly, then, as quick as a flash to human eyes, reached out with its beak, plucked the stick right out of Ash's hands and tossed it aside, leaving Ash stick-less, with a sore, scraped hand to add to his troubles.

Stumbling back in shock at how easily he had been disarmed by the bird, Ash panicked, then tripped and fell.

His anger replaced almost completely by an overwhelming fear and a desperate need to get away, he quickly scrambling back to his feet, only to fall down again when the Fearows wing casually swiped him back off his feet, almost playfully.

The fearow took another predatory hop forward, prompting Ash to crawl away backwards in his haste to get away from the advancing bird. It seemed all hope was lost. Then, out of pure desperation, Ash picked up a small rock from the ground and blindly lobbed at the birds head.

His aim, however blind it may have been, was true...

The rock struck...

It hit hard...

Indeed...it was a direct hit...

The Fearow cried out in pain.

It wobbled...

It stumbled...

Then...

It fell.

Slowly the Fearows eyes closed and it laid still.

It seemed, against all odds, Ash had won.

Ash blinked.

He shook his head.

Amazed at what had just happened he blinked once more, his mouth open in astonishment at what he had just done. He simply couldn't believe his eyes.

Had that really just happened?

Had he actually won? he asked himself.

Had he really just won like David had against Goliath? By the power of a small rock? he asked himself, releasing a small elated, slightly crazed giggle at the mere thought.

Surprised, still unable to fully believe his luck, Ash got up and took a small hesitant step forward.

One more step, then another.

He had nearly reached the bird...

'This is too good to be true,' he thought,

'It can't possibly be this easy,' he said to himself, feeling somewhat dizzy.

He was right!

Suddenly... Ash only had a split second to blink, even less to cry out in alarm, before the Fearow suddenly opened it's eyes and swiped at him with the full force of its wings, smacking and knocking him back, head over heals into the air.

Ash hardly had enough time to realise what had happened.

With a pang, he realised he had just been fooled.

No time to react, even less to defend himself, he suddenly found himself flying, then smash, into a near by tree, before he then landed on the hard unforgiving ground a few meters away, groaning in great pain.

Dazed, seeing stars, blackness threatening to overcome his vision, Ash slowly, sluggishly tried to pick himself up.

It was difficult. Overcome by pain he fell back to the ground. Even worse...as if the pain wasn't already enough, the blasted birds attack had somehow managed to paralyze him as well.

Feeling dizzy...and finding it suddenly very difficult, to move his limbs from the waist down, he began to panic. Realising the Fearow, was once again towering over him, it's beady eyes staring at him, like it would a juicy piece or meat.

Ash felt tears of despair and pain falling down his face, but chose to ignore them. Now was just not the time.

Once again he tried to move his legs, but somehow he just couldn't.

With a pang of terror he realised he suddenly couldn't feel feel his legs anymore...and to make things even worse...if that were possible... his left arm was broken as well.

Feeling completely helpless, Ash stared at the Fearow as it, once again, started to power up its finishing move.

Once again, he prepared himself for Death.

'This is it,' he thought. No escape now!

But...

Once again death did not come.

* * *

><p>Ash watched in mesmerized, fearful, yet somehow accepting macabre curiosity, as the Fearows wings began to glow a bright silvery light and stared as it began to take shape.<p>

Looking at it from his place on the ground, it briefly looked like the wing of an angel.

An angel coming to take him away...

'How strangely fitting,' he thought.

Though a fallen angel way be more accurate, he told himself.

Then, as if in slow motion, it began to fall for the second time that day.

Once again Ash began to close his eyes, unable to stare his death into the eye.

Once again he waited for death to claim him...

And once again... he was saved in a most miraculous, almost ridiculous way.

The moment the Fearow began to strike, Ash's Pidgotto, ejected himself from the false safety of his ball, just in time to block the Fearows attack.

Up to that moment the Pidgotto had waited, observed and had hoped, that the boy, his new trainer -he still didn't even know the boys name- would somehow get away from the Fearow, preferably with him as well.

He had been elated when the boy had run towards his ball and had not simply abandoned him - not that he would have blamed him if he had-...and then, miraculously, until a moment ago he had thought the boy could actually win against the larger bird.

Up to a few seconds ago, he had even celebrated briefly when the stone had seemingly killed the blasted bird, only to gasp and cry out in horror from the safety of his ball as his trainer was hit by the Fearow's attack.

It was simply not to be.

And now, out of time, he knew, he had no choice.

Seeing the attack come, the Pidgotto ejected himself from the ball and blocked the Fearows 'Steel Wing' attack with a 'Quick Attack' of his own. It was the only possible way to intercept the Fearows attack in time. The only way fast enough.

Unfortunately, the Pidgotto knew, it could also, most likely, also be his undoing too. But what different would that make at this point? The Fearow would surely kill him either way, so why not at least try. What did he have to lose!

A heavily injured, one winged Pidgotto vrs an enraged slightly injured, out for blood Fearow.

Never good odds.

For a second Ash watched as the Fearows wing began to fall towards his head...

All hope was seemingly lost.

Then, the next he watched in complete surprise as the glowing wing was intercepted by the body of a Pidgotto.

His Pidgeotto!

The power of steel vrs the power of hardened 'normal' flesh...

Alas...

Steel won!

It was all over in a split second.

With a loud pained scream of agony, the Fearows wings sliced right into the body of the Pidgeotto and out the other side.

Ash watched in horror as the Fearow removed its wing, now covered in the Pidgotto's blood, before it knocked the Pidgotto aside...discarded like rotten fruit.

The Pidgotto only had enough time to give Ash one last pleading look, before it went limp, fainted and collapsed to the ground.

The next moment a boys loud scream of horror rang through the forest.

"NOOOOOO!" Ash screamed when he realised what had just happened.

He had just seen his first and only pokémon get pierced and skewered, like a piece of barbecue meat, on to the Fearows wing, then discarded aside as it it were rotten.

It was more than his already abused and tormented mind could take.

At that moment something inside Ash snapped.

Then, all hell broke lose.

* * *

><p>Pikachu, awoken from his own forced nap á la Fearow, had been watching the battle from the safety of a nearby bush in complete astonishment as the boy, who had only moments ago, risked his own life to save the Pidgotto's, now tried to fight against the same angry Fearow.<p>

He couldn't believe what was happening.

The boy...a human boy... had risked his own life to save a pokémon's.

He didn't think it was possible.

This human had actually rushed out to catch and save a 'wild' pokémon.

No human until now, as far as he knew, had ever done that. Every human he had seen so far, had always let a wild pokémon fight on its own. If things became too dangerous they nearly always ran away. Never, as far as he knew, had a human ever tried to fight against another pokémon themselves to save another, at least not if said pokémon was not their own.

Then... a minute or so later the same boy did it again.

He could only shake his head at the boys stupidity.

Didn't he know he couldn't win against the Fearow? Even he, an electric pokémon, wouldn't want to go against 'that' bird, an elite 'FEAR' Fearow, especially as injured as he currently was.

It seems he did not.

Nobody would have thought any less of the boy had he run away the moment he had the chance. Least of all the Pidgotto he had rescued. It was what any sane pokémon would have done. It seemed 'sane' and human did not mix.

Had he been the boy he would have fled the moment the Pidgeys had so foolishly distracted the Fearow... not rushed over to the pokéball.

Was the ball more important than his own life?

Had he run away he would have survived...

But no! Instead of fleeing, he had actually stood and faced the Fearow. He had actually tried to fight it.

Now...

That took great courage to do. That was something Pikachu could respect!

True...he had failed... as was expected...but even so...to actually stand up and fight against a Fearow...as a mere human child...

Pikachu never thought he'd actually see the day.

He thought humans were cowards, only allowing others to fight for them...

But to actually stand up and fight as well...especially when you knew you had no chance!

This might actually be a worthy human he thought, a thought which surprised him as he hated to be caught and trained by a human, any human.

Too bad he's about to die, Pikachu thought as he watched the boy get hit by the Fearows wing and get knocked into a tree.

Had he really thought that bird was defeated?

Foolish!

One of the most important rules of engagement when battling other pokémon... 'Never lower your guard and believe your opponent is dead or defeated until you are 150% sure of it.' If you must attack first, then attack some more later when your opponent is down, but never take a defeat for granted.

Rule of engagement number 12: 'There is no such thing as overkill!'

At least not in a one on one battle.

Well... OK...so he was young... but youth and innocence won't save him from that Fearow. Or any Fearow for that matter.

By the looks of it, this was his first fight.

Pikachu sighed and flinched as the boys Pidgeotto was struck by the Fearows wing.

Too bad it would also be his last, he thought, sadly.

Pikachu, knowing he was currently in no shape to fight himself, he himself could barely move, could do nothing but watch sadly as the Fearow prepared to execute a finishing attack.

When suddenly...

'It' happened.

* * *

><p>Ash cried out in horror.<p>

There could be no other word to describe it.

He couldn't...he didn't want to believe what had just happened.

'No! No! No!'... he said to himself.

'This can't be happening,' he thought in denial, as he stared at his hurt and dying 'first'.

Nearly in hysterics he watched as his Pidgotto's eyes closed, then became still.

It was at that moment he snapped.

Turning his head, furious, he glared at the Fearow who had 'done' it all...

If looks could kill the Fearow would be six thousand feet under, in the debts of hell.

"You...BASTARD!" he roared out, anguish and hate evident in his voice, his face contorted to show his displeasure.

Then suddenly his eyes seemed to glow yellow.

Followed shortly by the rest of his body.

Overwhelmed, by the horror of the loss, the hate towards the bird and his huge desire to 'end' the Fearows existence, he suddenly felt an ability, hidden deeply inside him, waiting to be released.

Normally this ability would have remained hidden inside him for many more years yet to come... at which point it would have deemed him ready to use it at its fullest extent... That is if it had activated at all. For most humans it would never activate, choosing to stay hidden and unused for their whole lives.

However, at that moment, the immense stress of seeing his first pokémon get hurt and seemingly die in front of him, combined with pure willpower to bring down revenge, to smite the Fearow in front of him, was just enough to force out and activate the 'locked away' ability for the first time.

It was an ability, known by all pokémon and humans alike, as...

Aura.

Aura; known by some by its alternate names of 'Chakra,' 'Magic'...or simply as; 'The Force,' is the life-energy which runs though every living being. It is what binds us together and gives us the needed energy which we need to live.

Life is not possible without Aura. Every living being has and uses some form of Aura. From the smallest microbe to the largest of titans, all use Aura in different amounts, for without Aura neither could exist.

However, strangely, for some unknown reason, only pokémon...and a select few humans have ever been known to fully use this majestic power to its full extent. At least in the pokémon world.

It is this power what makes pokémon into the special creatures they are. It is this energy source which allows pokémon to perform their elemental attacks.

Without Aura, pokémon would be just as dangerous as 'mundane' animals.

Normally only used by pokémon, only a few, low number of humans can use this power.

Ash just happened to be one of these few gifted, chosen few.

* * *

><p>The Fearow watched, in open mouthed shock, as the human suddenly began to glow, then release a ball of white energy from his hands.<p>

He didn't even have a second to blink before, suddenly, taken completely by surprise, he was hit by an attack so powerful, it lit up the whole area in a brief sudden flash of bright light. He could do nothing but watch in pain as he was picked up and catapulted away from said boy, like a stuffed rag doll, right into the waiting painful embrace of a nearby tree.

Releasing a shriek of pure agony, as his body struck the hard wood of the tree, the next thing the Fearow knew was pain, pain the likes he had never felt before in his whole short existence, as his wing was suddenly speared by one of the trees branches...before the branch snapped and he fell to the forest floor.

Feebly the Fearow tried to get back up and cried out in pain as it did so.

Grinding his beak together due to the pain he was feeling, he forced himself to remain still, then he glanced at his wing.

What followed next was a cry of complete despair as he noticed that his wing had a huge puncture wound, and that it had been well and truly ripped to shreds by his impact with the trees branch. The branch itself was still partly sticking out of his flesh and blood was now flowing freely from his wing.

With a pang, he realised he would never fly again. For a bird like a Fearow, it was a death sentence. Not that it would make much of a difference either way soon enough. If he didn't stop the blood flow any time soon, he'd die of blood loss first anyway.

He knew, only a trainer could save him and his wing now. Their medicines and healing powers were legendary in the eyes of pokémon. They were able to even heal the most grievous of wounds. However, while another pokémon might have gladly surrendered themselves to the humans, so that they could be healed, even if it meant becoming a 'caught' pokémon, he, however, would be damned before he let a human capture him.

Realising that he was 'done for,' no matter what he did, he let out a loud cry of despair, a cry which halfway turned into a battle-cry of hate.

He then looked around for the one who had done 'it' to him.

Only one thing, one last wish was left in the Fearows mind:

To find and annihilate the one who had injured him...

Only then would he allow himself to die.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Not that far away<em>**

Destiny, having recovered from her latest encounter and subsequent escape from the Fearows, was once again traveling though the forest, looking for a human settlement.

Not just any human settlement, but for the -for her- elusive town of Pallet.

Oh, she knew 'it' was somewhere near by.

It had to be.

Or rather... she hoped it was.

Those few friendly pokémon she had asked for directions at least, had seemed fairly certain.

What else could they have meant by; 'the huge human burrow where the kind gray furred man, with numerous scary pokémon lived'...

Rightfully thinking that the 'gray fur' meant 'gray hair' and that the numerous scary pokémon were actually captured trained pokémon, Destiny hoped that the kind gray furred man was in fact Professor Oak and that the huge burrow was actually his laboratory.

Destiny was hovering alongside a small dirt road, careful to not be seen by any passing trainers, -not that there were many foolish enough to travel through the forest as of late,- when she suddenly heard something cry out in pain in the distance.

Destiny stopped hovering and listened.

She could now clearly hear the sounds of a battle in the distance, several kilometers away. Something which was sadly very common these days.

'Just some more Pidgey's vrs Spearows...the usual troublesome troublemakers,' she thought sadly.

When would they ever stop? This is getting ridiculous. Do they even know why they are fighting?

"The sooner I get out of this blasted forest the better," she said to herself.

She was so sick and tired of the forest and its warring bird factions, she was more than ready to leave the forest and never come back.

It reminded her far too much of the warring gangs back in her old world, back when she was still a human.

Already she was starting to move away from the sounds, moving in the opposite direction. She didn't feel like getting involved in another fight. Not so soon after having only just survived her last one. Especially not when she couldn't fight anyway.

Suddenly, she heard another cry.

It was a sharp cry of pain, just like before.

Now, cries of pain were to be expected. Nothing wrong with that...well..besides the obvious of course.

This cry however, was somewhat different.

For some unknown frightening reason, this one was followed, just as suddenly, by a sudden unexpected brief sharp pain in her left shoulder and then another, second pain, equally as painful, in her lower right back area.

Briefly, it was as if she lost all movement. It was as if she couldn't move anymore and never would again. Thankfully however it didn't last for long and she could soon move again.

"What the hell was that?" she wondered, alarmed, speaking out load, turning her full attention towards her sudden pain and any reasons behind it.

The pain, hadn't last long, only a short second to be exact, before it was gone again. It was however more than enough to make her stop in alarm.

Quickly she looked around, checking her surroundings for danger. Finding none, she next looked at her shoulder. Staring at her left shoulder, she searched for a wound, anything which could explain the sudden unexplained pain she had just felt.

Once again she found nothing.

'What was that?...What's wrong with my arm?' she asked herself, fearfully, eyes widening. 'Why was I suddenly unable to move?'

A feeling of such sudden pain did not come for no reason... and when you did feel pain, any sort of pain, you did not just ignore it. Especially not in the wilderness of the pokémon world, where a sharp pain could be poison which was just injected into you.

'Come to think of it... that cry didn't sound like a pokémon...that sounded...human," she told herself a second later, briefly glancing towards the source of the cries.

"Not just any human...but..."

Suddenly her eyes widening slightly.

Whirling around she faced the direction the sounds were coming from.

It sounded familiar.

It sounded frighteningly familiar!

She was sure she had heard that cry before...somewhere.

And then there was the pain...the sudden strange pain she had felt when she had heard the cry.

Was there a connection? If yes...why? More importantly...how?

Another sharp cry of pain rang out through the forest, coming from the same area.

Once again she felt a small very brief pain... this time, is was more like a small pinch.

Once again Destiny examined herself for an attack. Any sort of an attack.

It certainly seemed more and more, as if there was a connection. If so, then this was very bad.

Psychic or ghost attacks, for one were one of the most difficult attacks to defend oneself from...unless of course you were immune towards them

Feeling pain after hearing a cry of pain not your own, pointed towards an attack like a destiny bound...

This, as you can understand, worried her, greatly.

Once again she heard another cry of pain.

Once again, it was a cry of extreme pain...

This one however, she thankfully didn't feel. Also, this one was a cry of a bird...

Worse, This one was the pained cry of defeat...not just any old cry of defeat...but the worst kind...the final kind...

It was a cry of imminent expected death!

It brought an immediate shiver of dread down her spine and she briefly closed her eyes and bowed her head in respect for the defeated.

To make matter even worse, for some reason, it also brought along a strong feeling of horror...sorrow...and ... anger as well.

It was as if she was suddenly feeling the horror and the anger herself.

It was nearly as if these feeling were her own.

But why...

Another mystery she didn't need, nor indeed want.

Why was she suddenly feeling these feelings?

Ok...logically, whatever had happened was probably...no...not probably, but most definitely horrible...death was always horrible...

Few could suppress their emotions to such a degree that they would be completely indifferent to it, after hearing such a sound...

Nearly all felt at least some form of sorrow for the poor defeated being... Few were so cold hearted and used to death that they didn't feel anything anymore.

Even ghost pokémon felt something for the newly deceased...

But surely it had nothing to do with her, did it?...

At least not enough to make the feelings as strong as they currently were.

As if they were somehow connected... nearly her own.

So why was she feeling it as if it did...have something to do with her.

It didn't make any sense.

Or did it?

Why would she feel pain...or anger, if it didn't concern her? she frantically asked herself, as she stared towards the area of her dilemma.

Quickly, suddenly feeling a sudden sense of urgency, an urgency she had not felt before, she decided to trust her instincts and started to move towards the sounds and cries.

Destiny quickly estimated the distance left to travel. It was still quite far away. It would take her several more minutes at her current speed, to arrive to help whatever was in trouble. She would have teleported, however she didn't know the area. To teleport somewhere you had have been there before...or you had to be able to see your destination; a photo or a memory - if clear enough-, but not a picture, of the destination would do. As it was, she had not been there yet...nor did she have a photo, or memory of the area...and even if she had, only a fool would have teleported into the middle of a battlefield without having at least some idea of what to expect. As such, it would take her a while to get there. She only hoped she would not be too late.

Her heart hammering in her chest, Destiny heard the human voice scream again, only this time it was a cry of despair and anger, followed almost immediately by a huge white light, a light which lit up in the distance, before a loud crash rang though the area.

Taken by surprise Destiny fell over, her eyes widened in alarm.

'What was that?' she wondered, alarmed.

That was no normal pokémon attack. That much was obvious.

It was different... it even felt different...

It felt pure...

It felt...like...

Aura!

Pure, undiluted Aura!

Not the usual diluted stuff most pokémon used. But the pure stuff.

Destiny shook her head.

That can't be right...as far as she knew there were no pure aura using pokémon in this region.

The elemental attacks pokémon used were not actually pure aura.

'It could be a trained, caught pokémon though,' she reminded herself.

Which would also explain the human cries she was hearing.

But something told her it was not so.

Shaking her head, she resumed her hover towards her destination.

It was another kilometer later, closer to whatever was happening, when she heard the human voice cry out.

"WHY!"...followed by a: "Why do you continue to try to attack me?"

It was at this very moment that her eyes widened and she finally understood.

Her eyes widening even further as she paled and pure adrenaline poring through ever inch of her body.

'NO!' she shouted mentally as she suddenly realised why the voice had been so familiar to her.

That was no Aura using pokémon...

That was...

"ASH!" she screamed out, hovering with all her might towards her destination.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back with Ash, a few minutes earlier.<strong>_

Ash, feeling suddenly weakened and somewhat dizzy, stared at his hands.

What had just happened? he wondered in disbelief and a rather large amount of amazement.

Had he just done that? he asked himself, alarmed.

Shocked, at what 'he' had seemingly done; he had, after all, seen the ball of white energy leave his hands, he looked at the damage, the ball of light...his 'attack,' had wrought onto the surrounding area.

Like a small miniature meteor, all that remained of the spot, where the Fearow had once stood, was a small trench where it had smashed into the ground.

'I wonder what happened to the Fearow?' he wondered, as he searched the immediate area for the bird, tracing the path of destruction the 'ball' had created...right up to a nearby tree, which was somehow, incredibly, still standing.

It was there, at the bottom of the tree, that he saw the Fearow.

It truly was a pitiful sight now. A mere shadow of the once majestic former bird self it had once been.

It had cuts in multiple places... It had bald areas where its feathers had been plucked, straight from its body...and the few feather's it did have, were soaked red with blood, a lot of which Ash was sure, wasn't even its own.

It clearly had problems moving without feeling some sort of pain...

Blood was freely oozing out of it's many wounds, losing blood at a slow but steady pace... and its right wing... at least that what was left of its wing...had been completely mangled and torn to shreds.

In fact, one would be more accurate at saying that the bird only had one wing left.

It's right wing, the parts of it that were left, were now trailing behind it, as it slowly moved towards Ash.

'That' was probably the part which frightened Ash the most.

Even now, even with all of the pain it must be feeling and all of its many injuries, it was still moving towards him.

Shocked out of his wits, Ash could only watch in stunned, horrified amazement, as the bird systematically dragged itself towards him, inch by inch, using it's remaining wing and beak to grapple itself across the ground.

Slowly it came closer and closer, leaving a smear of blood along the path it traveled.

'No...this can't be happening,' Ash thought.

'Why...why would it do that'? Ash wondered, horrified, staring at the advancing bird with fear filled amazement.

Each passing second the bird clearly became weaker and weaker as it lost more and more blood.

Still it didn't give up.

'I don't understand...why does it continue to fight?' Ash asked himself. He couldn't understand what was happening.

'What was its reason?'

'Why can't it simply leave me alone?'

'Why does it hate me so much? Enough to want to hurt me, even after it was already so badly hurt itself.'

'Doesn't it realise it will die if it doesn't seek help?'

'What did I do to deserve this?' he asked himself.

Something wasn't right here.

Would a bird normally do this?

Does a bird normally really behave like this?

Under normal circumstances Ash would have been impressed by the birds amazing will power, were it not been for the one simple fact, that it was coming far too close to him for comfort.

Frustrated, dazed and in complete disbelief at what he was seeing, Ash tried to move away as well. However, unlike the bird, he was not able to.

Whereas the bird was somehow able to bypass its pain and keep on moving, as incredible as it was in its current state, Ash, for his part, simply could not do so.

Each time he tried to move, he found he simply couldn't replicate the feat. He simply was not able to do so.

He was paralyzed by the birds former attack.

Whenever Ash did seem to have enough willpower to try to move, he barely managed to drag his limp body a few inches across the ground, before, overwhelmed by the pain of his broken arm and unresponsive legs, he'd collapse once more, into a pitiful quivering heap.

He never felt to helpless...and defeated before.

Soon bird and human were staring themselves, into each others eyes once more.

Soon only a meter or two remained between the two mortal enemies.

Now very tired and very weak the Fearow tried to get up.

Ash could clearly see the pain in the birds eyes, yet that didn't seem to stop it.

Still it didn't give up. Still it stubbornly tried to move... to finish him off.

Soon, very slowly, it managed to move itself up into an upright position.

Once again, Ash tried to get up himself, only to fail. His legs, or anything below his waist, simply refused to co-operate.

Tears of frustration and pain fell from his eyes and ran down his face as he watched the bird, raise it's one lone remaining wing, only for it to fall down again, once, then twice, then a third time, still, just like before, it never once looked like giving up.

Each time it got weaker and weaker. Ash could literally see it happen by the second, yet the bird would always try again.

It was at this moment that Ash realised the bird wouldn't be able to succeed.

Or at least he hoped it wouldn't.

It seemed, it was now simply too weak to succeed.

Yet, still the bird didn't give up. It was, in short, aggravating, to say the very least.

Still it tried to attack, only to fail.

"WHY!"...Ash suddenly shouted out.

"Why do you continue to try to attack me?" he asked, from where he lay.

Exasperated and seriously unnerved by the birds attempts, he watched the birds feeble attempts to harm him. It was now clear that the Fearow didn't have much strength left to do it. It had reached its limit.

Yet it still tried to continue it's futile endeavor.

Weakly the Fearow managed to release a quiet weak screech as a reply, before it tried once again to move.

"Why? What did I do to you to deserve this...hate?" Ash asked it, tears falling from his eyes.

This time however the bird didn't answer.

It seemed all that needed to be said, had been said.

Deciding evidently to use the last of its remaining strength, for one last attempt to attack the boy it seemingly hated so much, the Fearow began to raise its last remaining wing one more time.

This time, much to Ash's horror, it seemed to succeed.

Slowly, the Fearow's wing began to rise.

The Fearows attempts became more and more laboured...yet it still managed to somehow raise that one all important wing.

It was like watching the scythe of death itself, Ash could do nothing else but stare silently as the bird slowly raised its wing for the last time.

Then it began to glow.

Ash knew he had to move... He knew he had to do so now.

Oh, how he tried to move...to get away...but the few inches he did manage just were not enough.

Ash began to panic.

'This can't be happening. Not now... Not after all that!' he thought panicking.

"No!...Get away from me!'' he shouted hysterically as he watched the wing light up a weak gray, silver colour. It flickered, once, then twice, before finally becoming stable.

It seemed he only had a few short seconds left to live. He had no illusions of what that wing...or rather wing turned blade, would do to him if it managed to hit him.

Then it happened...

The last of its strength spent, the bird finally faltered...

Ash, only had one small fleeting second left to look into the Fearows eyes. One last fleeting vision as the birds eyes began to slowly grow milky, as death slowly began to take over.

"Why?" Ash managed to croak out one last time, staring the bird into it's slowly closing eyes.

Slowly he watched as the once lively and ferocious bird moved for the very last time, then, with one last weak defiant screech, Ash watched quietly as the last remaining colour literally began to drain from it's eyes.

Ash could do nothing but watch. It was a truly horrific moment.

For one brief unreal second, Ash looked into two yellow, glowing defiant eyes of hate..., these same eyes then suddenly changed... changed from two glowing yellow orbs, into two eyes of dull lifeless brown, a brown filled with first, confusion, then remorse...then finally into acceptance...followed by an acute longing for forgiveness.

It's screech once defiant and harsh, turned into one of confusion... at the very last second of its life.

It was a sight which would haunt Ash for a long time to come and which he would never truly be able to forget.

Ash stared in horror as it's eyes began to close for ever...and then, slowly ...with the closing of the birds eyes...as if in slow motion, the wing began to fall.

It began to fall towards him.

* * *

><p>The wing fell!<p>

Ash saw it but, like before, could do nothing to stop it.

Seeing it descend; like a guillotine towards a French nobles head, he closed his eyes.

He knew the time had come...and this time nothing would be there to save him. Or so he thought.

He waited for death to claim him.

He was sure it would.

He heard a loud screech...

Followed by a loud...

*CLANG*

The sweet, harsh scraping sound of metal meeting metal.

But to Ash it meant nothing. Nothing... but death.

Then, in the blink of an eye, it was all over...

Yet he felt no pain...

The wing had hit!

It's aim was true!

But to Ash that meant nothing.

Nothing at all.

For Ash, all went dark...

And then Ash knew no more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** :-P... Once again a good place to stop.

Hate me all you want!

Until next time.

I have already started it.


	15. Chosen One meets chosen Mon!

**A/N: **Warnings: Not much in this chapter in terms of battles, though there is a bit of implied... 'indecency' near the end if you like that sort of thing. This chapter is more to set the stage and prepare for the next big battle...not to mention something else... :-)

Also, as advised by a few reviewers...I have changed the rating of this story to M.

:: Pidgey's to me!:: = Pokéspeech (only when around humans...otherwise it's the normal ""Pidgey's to me!")

(((I am a Pokédex))) = Pokédex speech

*BOOM* = Loud noises or other similar effects.

**"I am your partner"= **Destiny speaking with Ash telepathically. (Only Ash and Destiny can hear this)

* * *

><p><strong>PARA( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)DOX<strong>

**Chosen One... meets chosen Mon!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously on Paradox:<strong>_

* * *

><p>The wing fell!<p>

Ash saw it fall, but like before, could do nothing to stop it.

Seeing it descend; like a guillotine towards a French nobles head, he knew it was time.

He closed his eyes.

He waited for death to claim him.

He was sure it would.

Then he heard a loud screech...

Followed by a loud...

*CLANG*

The sweet, harsh sound of metal meeting metal...

...a small screech of pain...

But to Ash it meant nothing. Nothing... but impending death.

Then, in the blink of an eye, it was all over...

Yet he felt no pain...

The wing had hit!

It's aim was true!

But to Ash, that meant nothing.

Nothing at all.

For Ash, all went dark...

And then Ash knew no more.

* * *

><p><strong><em>And now the continuation:<em>**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Location: unknown, somewhere in the realms <strong>__**outside time and space.**_

Far away, somewhere where no man can go, two shadowy malevolent yellow eyes glowed fiercely in annoyance and in an acute amount of anger as the Fearow failed to kill its assigned target.

Somehow the blasted 'chosen one' - oh how he hated those two words - had, against all odds, managed to survive once again.

It had been so close! Alas, obviously still not close enough. Even now he could still sense the boys aura, as it continued to mock him. As if continuously saying; I'm still here, you failed...fail again next time.

It was really beginning to become truly intolerable.

'Just like the boys father... and that other...'pests' before him,' the shadowy being thought, grumbling to himself.

Even after all of these years, the blasted 'chosen ones' were still around, always ready to thwart him.

Even after all of his years of trying to 'remove' them from the human realm and using the many organisations against them. It still had not been enough.

The shadowy being harrumphed loudly, dissatisfaction clear in his voice. If only the newest 'one' hadn't lived such a sheltered life so far. It really had proven itself quite...challenging, putting the boy into life threatening situations.

'Well...at least until now. With him going on his 'journey' that would no doubt change,' he thought with a smile.

'If only that useless weak bird had been that little bit stronger,' the voice grumbled again.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

True, the boy was now paralyzed...but that would not last. And even if it did, the humans technology, being as advanced as it was, had ways around such... complications. No doubt it wouldn't stop them for long.

As it was, a near miss, was, after all, still just that...

A miss!

'Oh well,' he thought to himself, shrugging slightly. He'd simply have to try again later.

After all, nobody ever said it would be easy. There was no fun... no achievement, in something being easy.

Besides, he always knew it would take a while to achieve his goals. Especially with 'Arc' countering his every move.

He knew it would most likely take several more years of constant attempts...at best...

...Or until he managed to enter the human world...at worst...to achieve his self foreseen victory.

It had taken a lot of his immense power just to take control of that one weak Fearow from his current location...and indirectly through that Fearow, the others, something he wouldn't have managed to do, had Arceus not been briefly distracted a little while ago, thanks to the rockets attempts.

He'd have to remember to thank them for their efforts and many years of... 'loyalty'... just before he kills them all, he thought to himself, laughing quietly, while imagining their looks when it finally happened.

For now, he'd wait. He had time! Being immortal did, after all, have it's perks...from time to time. And 'Time,' as such, was on his side. It was after all, not a matter of 'if'...but rather a matter of 'when' he'd get another chance. It was only a matter of when, not if, before Arceus would be distracted once more. And then he would strike!

Accepting another defeat, at least for now, he quickly used the last of his considerable remaining influence to leave behind one last surprise in the human realm.

He knew it wouldn't be much...Arceus would no doubt stop the worst of it...but it would still cause some damage.

Besides, maybe, just maybe, he might get lucky... and the other Fearows, as indoctrinated by his efforts as they currently were, might yet do what the others before them, could not.

Finally finished, his 'surprise' in place, now very exhausted from his constant ongoing power struggle with Arceus, he abruptly returned what remaining power he could to his severely weakened reserves and abruptly severed the mental connection to his temporary unwilling pawn, discarding it, finally allowing it to die.

It would take a while before he could attempt another attack...but when the time came...he would be ready.

And this time, he swore...he would succeed!

Until then all he would gather his strength and be patient.

And then, when that day finally came, he would enjoy every bit of it. He would savor their fear...drink their blood and relish the destruction.

And then...then it would be...

Glorious!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back with Ash<strong>_

Poor Ash!

What a way to start a Pokémon training career.

Not even one day an official trainer, not even officially yet on the road... and already several dead Pokémon, all around him...

Not fainted...

Dead!

One even by his very own hand.

Was a trainer ever in a worse situation?

To make matters even worse...as if it hadn't already been bad enough, he was now paralyzed. Unable to move from the waist down. In short, he was helpless. Easy meat for any wild animal; Pokémon or mundane, who just happened to wander...or fly through the area.

It was without a doubt the worst day of his, so far, brief life.

Ash, completely overwhelmed by the stress of the situation, his vision fading in and out, had enough.

He simply couldn't take it anymore.

He needed a break... a time out... and he needed it now.

Indeed, at that moment he didn't even care if his mother found him... and grounded him until the end of time.

He just wanted out!

Overwhelmed by his current situation, his brain temporarily deciding to shut down; all turned black.

But he was not dead...

Not just yet.

Legends don't die before their time. Especially not for legends who are still needed. Needed to protect the world. And for Ash it was no different.

Ash's legend had only just begone.

His task... not yet complete.

And so, unknown to him, at that very moment, a near miracle was taking place.

A Pokémon, one which can't fight, had come at the last second, to rescue her soon-to-be trainer from the big, the bad, the scary - not to mention sharp - wing of death.

Too bad, said trainer was not awake to fully appreciate this monumental moment.

For said trainer... Ash Ketshum...future legendary champion, one of only three chosen ones, chosen by Arceus himself, was currently out cold. Ash was away with the fairies...in his own personal dreamland...having a mid-day orgy with Morpheus... and as such was incapable of appreciating pretty much anything at that moment.

And so it was, that, with roles temporarily reversed, a certain distressed damsel...saved her brave Sir knight.

* * *

><p><strong>Pallet Town, at that very moment.<strong>

Professor Oak, esteemed world renown Pokémon professor was sitting at his desk stamping and signing several layers of ever increasing paperwork, in triplicate, when he suddenly began to feel cold and begin to shiver.

Unable to concentrate on his work any longer, deciding it was the best time to take a break, to have a hot cup of his favorite earl grey tea, hot, he got up, yawned briefly, stretched and then walked into the near by kitchen.

After filling the kettle and setting the power level on it to 'boil', he was suddenly brought out of his musings by a small sudden breeze which blew into his face, prompting him to glance out of a nearby open window.

'Ah that explains the cold' he thought to himself as he looked outside.

The sky outside was becoming darker by the minute. Much darker than he thought it was supposed to be.

'Is it already that late?' he pondered, wondering where the time had all gone to. He could have sworn it wasn't that late.

"I really have to stop doing all that paperwork and get out more," he mumbled to himself.

With a sigh he glanced at a near by clock, only to frown, his right eyebrow raising slightly in surprise. It was only the late afternoon, much too early for it to get that dark. Especially since is was mid summer.

'That can't be right,' he thought, perplexed.

Suddenly worried, (one did not get to his age in the Pokémon world by ignoring sudden differences in their lives, especially when it came to the weather) he quickly walked into his laboratories control room.

Along with his usual Pokémon duties - since many Pokémon could influence the weather - as the local professor, it was also his job to keep an eye on the weather and anything else which could possibly have an eventual impact on the region.

As one of his many jobs, he was not only the local Pokémon Professor and general researcher...but he was also the local weather expert. It was his job to keep an eye on the weather...and warn the Populace of impending...catastrophes.

Inputting his personal security password when prompted, he quickly connected to the main satellite grid in the atmosphere and ordered one of the many satellites in orbit to perform a scan of pallet town and its surrounding areas.

Several minutes and a loud swearword later, the tea and paperwork forgotten, he was rushing around making several urgent calls to several emergency services, activating the towns alarms and many defense systems, recalling all the Pokémon out in the fields and alerting and preparing it's many citizens for what was to come.

A Hurricane was growing all around them and they were in for one hell of a night.

* * *

><p><em><strong>With Destiny<strong>_

Destiny was in pain...

Oh, how she was in pain.

Her back was killing her...well, metaphorically speaking, though that wasn't that far from the truth.

It was only her steel armor hide which had saved her, and by all rights, had she been another Pokémon, she she would have fainted...or worse.

As it was, she really did feel like fainting and it was only the fact that she needed to stay awake that stopped her from doing just so.

There was a long deep cut compassing all around her back, from the top of her shoulder right up to her lower region, right where the wing had cut into her.

To make matters even worse, her sight was a little out of focus from blood loss.

Luckily, she had already stopped the bleeding and the cut would heal, leaving only another scar. However, even so, patches of black were still clouding her vision.

In short, she was in sheer absolute agony. However, she didn't care. She had saved Ash and that was all that mattered.

It had been close...way too close.

Especially for Ash.

She could hardly believe how close she had just come to losing Ash... before even meeting him.

She could hardly believe it...

She didn't want to believe it... yet, it had nearly happened and no amount of denying would change that.

He was the whole reason for her even existing in the first place... and she had nearly failed her mission without even realising it.

Had she been even one more second later in arriving... well...she didn't even want to think about it.

Him dying, was probably the worst case scenario possible.

Destiny cringed as she scanned Ash once more. He was not in good shape. Far from it. She wasn't sure if things could get much worse at this point.

What the hell had happened anyway, to cause such grievous wounds, she wondered to herself.

She couldn't remember this happening in the anime... In fact she was one hundred percent certain it had not. Sure, there had been the Fearow and Spearow attack...but even then...why was Ash currently paralyzed, from the waist down, one of the worst things - at least in her old world - that could ever happen to anybody.

She really hoped the medics of this world could fix him...because if not...well...

Let's just say, if not, then it would be very difficult for Ash to walk...let's not even talk about him training his Pokémon, if he couldn't move.

She had never seen or heard of a Pokémon trainer in a wheelchair before. At least not in the anime. Then again that was for kids...this was reality.

As far as she knew it was a requirement for trainers to be able to move to train their Pokémon. At least if they wanted to be effective while doing so. One didn't live long in the wild if you were not able to run away from an angry Pokémon.

While a trainer in a wheelchair could no doubt still give orders to his or her Pokémon...to save the world in one... well...somehow she doubted it would be practically possible.

Sighing deeply, Destiny thought back to what had happened a few moments ago...

* * *

><p><em>*Flashback*... a few minutes ago.<em>

* * *

><p>Destiny stumbled slightly as she hovered towards the origin of the bright light... a light she now knew -or at least guessed- was an aura attack. An attack not made by a Pokémon...but, in fact, by her future trainer, Ash Ketshum.<p>

She was sure of it! So sure of it, she was about to bet her life on it.

The 'feelings,' for lack of a better word, had been steadily becoming stronger...and much more urgent by the second. So urgent in fact, that Destiny was close to panicking.

Why else would she be getting these 'feelings' if it wasn't because of Ash?

It was as if time ...some sort of timer, was running out...and something bad...indeed, something irreversible, would happen if it did run out. Something which would not...should not... could not, be allowed to happen.

She simply had to keep Ash and herself alive...at all costs. There was no other way of saying it.

Without one of them, the world was as good as doomed. Without her and Ash the world would fall. They were it's only hope.

Arceus had warned her that both of them would be needed in the end, to survive what was to come.

For that to happen both of them had to survive.

Beads of salty sweat fell from her scaly steel face, swept away by the wind, as she hovered past, at a decent pace.

'Damn those trees,' she thought as another tree blocked her way and another branch briefly nicked at her face.

She would have gone faster...indeed she could have gone many times faster...but alas, there were just too many 'things' in the way.

Oh, it was not like the trees could do much to her, she hardly even felt the branches harshly whipping at her as she flew past, however they could and did slow her down...a lot.

The last thing she wanted, was to reenact 'George of the jungle' and knock herself out by crashing into a tree. That would have done nobody any good...not to mention, it have been very embarrassing.

'Only a little further now,' she thought to herself.

She only hoped she would not be too late.

'Only a little longer...I'm coming Ash,' she thought again tensely.

'Only a few more'...

"Gah! that blasted tree!"

She swerved to the right...she swerved to the left. She quickly ducked a low hanging branch, only to crash right through the next.

'It should be right behind that bush, she hoped'

Suddenly she heard a voice...

"No!...Get away from me!''

She could hear the voice of the human...

It was Ash! She was sure of it.

She could hear him shout.

His voice sounded hysterical. This in turn only made Destiny even more frantic, even more desperate to arrive.

Giving herself one last push, she sped up even more, briefly passing her pre-determined safety limits, nearly crashing into about four trees before she pushed through one more final bush.

It was at that moment that she arrived and saw two figures, near by, on the ground.

One was a large bird. A heavily injured, heavily torn up Fearow. A Fearow with just one functional wing. A wing which was glowing a weak gray, silver colour.

It flickered once before becoming stable.

Her gaze glanced down, tracing the path of the wings decent.

It was then she finally saw him... and her heart skipped a beat.

A young injured boy, not even in his teens yet. One she had seen many times before. But never in reality.

It was the very same boy she had been looking for, for the past few months.

"Why?" she heard Ash croak out one last time, obviously staring at the bird which was about to kill him.

Destiny watched, eyes wide, as the once lively and ferocious bird moved for the last time, then, as if in slow motion, the wing began to fall. It was as if at that moment time itself had decided to slow down, as if to savor the moment.

"ASH!" she screamed, her voice coming out as a long shrill screech ...followed directly by an equally loud screeched "NO!" as the wing fell.

Not knowing what else to do, she acted on blind instinct.

All she knew was that she couldn't allow the wing to hit Ash.

It just wasn't allowed to happen.

Nothing else mattered anymore.

She had to stop it.

She simply had to stop it...no matter what.

Or else all was lost.

Inch by inch, picking up speed by the millisecond, the wing began to fall.

Meter by meter, all in a split second, Destiny sped towards the limp body of her future trainer.

Inch by inch the Fearows wing descended towards the boys neck.

Speeding up, to an incredible 'faster-than-sight' speed, towards the prone boy. Unknown to Destiny, at that very moment, she automatically performed an 'agility'.

But she knew nothing of it.

All she cared about was to reach the fallen boy in front of her...

She could not allow the boy to be 'guillotined' by the dying Fearow.

This was one metaphorical 'french noble' who would not be allowed to lose his head.

If that happened, then all would be over.

If that happened, then all would be lost.

She only had a split second to save the day... Just one second to save the world.

That was all... the only thing that mattered.

And so...at the very last second of Ash's otherwise brief life, just before the wing were to slice into his head, Destiny threw herself right in between the wing and its target.

A loud *clang* of metal vrs metal filled the forest.

This clang was soon followed a second later by two loud harsh screeches, one the pained screech of an injured female Pokémon, the other of metal sliding down metal,leaving a long deep cut in it's wake, like one thousand fingernails scratching down a blackboard at the same time, as the wing was blocked by an equally sturdy steel body, redirecting it away from the soft tender, highly vulnerable flesh of the human boy beneath it.

* * *

><p><em>*End Flashback*<em>

* * *

><p>Destiny came out of her flashback with a shudder and did her best to ignore the new persistent sharp stinging pain across her back, as she diligently concentrated her aura to continue healing herself. She knew she needed to finish with it soon. She could not afford to be injured for long... or be distracted by the pain.<p>

An enemy Pokémon could find them at any moment and as such she needed a clear mind. She would not have a clear mind if she was in a lot of pain.

In short, she had to stay strong.

Luckily after several months alone in the wild she knew a thing or two about ignoring pain and staying strong. She now had a high tolerance to 'it'. The 'it' being pain. However, even so, it still hurt...badly, every time.

Well, the deeper cuts did...scrapes, bruises and other low priority injuries hardly bothered her that much anymore. Indeed, 'they' were hardly an annoyance at this point. However, it was very difficult to ignore the deeper, more damaging injuries.

Luckily, because of her steel body all that was left of her injury, at this point, was 'only' a slight flesh wound...and even that was healing quickly.

Quickly closing up the last remains of the once mortally deep wound, Destiny released a brief sigh of relief and allowed herself a moment to look around.

Looking at Ash's comatose state, she tried to plan their next moves.

If only she could find a way to heal Ash as well, she thought to herself.

She would have done so herself already...but...

Alas... it was not currently possible.

She could only heal her own wounds...

Unfortunately, the move 'Recover'...the only healing move she currently knew, besides 'Refresh', could only be used to heal oneself... not another.

Even then, even if she could have used 'Recover' on Ash, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to fully heal his back. It was not, after all, a 'normal' case of paralysis...

'Those' could be healed by a berry...or for severe cases, a potion...

Unfortunately...this paralysis was not caused by a Pokémon move... but by heavy physical trauma.

Whatever had happened had severely damaged Ash's spine. Damaged it so much in fact, that, according to her scans, his back had been broken in multiple places by the impact.

Had Ash been a Pokémon, it might have been possible to heal such an injury. Indeed, for a Pokémon, a Full Recover and a long rest could work wonders and cure practically any possible injury. Broken bones; no problem. Regrow bones... a little more difficult and it took longer, but possible. Even regrowing missing limbs was possible, though it took weeks... a very long time - for a Pokémon - to do so.

As it was, Ash was no Pokémon... Ash was human... and in that fact lay the problem.

Pokémon potions, while indeed effective to a much lesser extent on humans were not, however, meant for them.

Besides... that was all beside the point as she was all out of Full Recover potions.

She could only hope the doc's had some 'tricks' hidden up their sleeves, or else...

If the Doctors didn't have a way to treat him...then...

Well...

There was a high chance he'd never move again.

* * *

><p>Pikachu was facing a dilemma.<p>

He really didn't know what to do.

On one paw he wanted nothing to do with humans, any human... especially the trainers.

Being captured by one, being forced to live with multiple trainers who mistreated you, and then being abandoned by them because, according to them, you weren't good enough, had left his opinion of humanity, as a whole, severely jaded. His life with them so far, had been a steady flow of negative experiences, filled with disappointments and very few good moments.

He really didn't want to risk being captured again any time soon. Helping the boy would automatically mean putting himself at risk of just that happening.

On the other paw, however... for some reason he really felt like helping 'this' particular boy.

For some reason, he felt as if he could trust this boy. Like it was the right thing to do. Especially after what he had just seen.

This was a human boy who had selflessly just risked everything...even his very life, to save the life of a Pokémon.

It went against everything he knew, or expected, when it came to humans.

Yet...it had happened.

Had you asked him if he would have been willing to help a human before today, by his own free will, Pikachu probably would have laughed in your face...after shocking you first. Now... now however he wasn't so sure.

Maybe, now he'd only shock 99% of humans...

Maybe...just maybe, some weren't so bad after all.

Maybe, he could learn to live with them.

Or at least one of them.

Then, a few minutes later, to make matters even more interesting, as if the humans actions weren't already surprising enough... the deed was replicated by a Pokémon.

A certain very troublesome and perplexing Pokémon to say the very least.

Just a few minutes ago... this very troublesome Pokémon, one he had seen a lot of in the past few months, had just, in turn, also risked her own life for said human boy.

Pikachu was astounded. He did not like being astounded. Being astounded lowered his defenses. It meant he could be taken by surprise.

Never a good thing in the Pokémon world.

Ok... he wasn't surprised that a Pokémon would rescue a human. That happened a lot. A lot of Pokémon were trained to do just that, after all.

What he was surprised about, however, was 'what' Pokémon had just saved the boys life.

This particular Pokémon, as far as he knew, was wild.

Wild Pokémon, didn't usually do that. It went against any sense of self preservation. Something so deeply ingrained into every Pokémon it was rarely ignored, if ever.

Ignoring it usually left you dead...or worse...captured!

Because of that, ignoring it completely was unheard of.

This particular Pokémon, had constantly avoided being captured on many occasions in the past few months.

Such an act was common and expected for wild Pokémon, and as such it made him believe that the other Pokémon was in fact wild.

A captured and trained Pokémon didn't run away. It didn't need to because a caught Pokémon couldn't, after all, be caught again. Pokéballs, usually didn't allow it.

Once registered as belonging to a trainer, you couldn't be captured again until the current trainer either set you free... or if your current ball broke.

Caught Pokémon usually quickly realised this important point soon after their first initial capture.

Pikachu himself had learned about the Pokéballs mysterious powers, when he was told all about them by a friendly Pokémon, during one of his first visits to a Pokécentre. He had tried to destroy his ball...on multiple occasions soon after, failing each time.

Every time he had thought of doing so, he found out he somehow couldn't. Something in him had always stopped him from doing the deed. It was as if something was controlling him, stopping him from doing so. Just like mind control. There was no other valid explanation. Pikachu was sure of it.

It was one of the main reasons why he didn't like staying in a Pokéball. He didn't like being controlled.

He had even tried to catch himself once, using another unregistered Pokéball, to get away from his trainer at the time.

Obviously It hadn't worked either.

No matter...fact is, once caught, a Pokémon could not be caught again. Not unless it was set free.

Of course some trainers would still check and there were always those who attacked anyway... but while the initial attack was, of course annoying...not to mention painful, it usually worked.

Back to the current situation, however.

For this Pokémon...any Pokémon, to behave in this way, usually meant one thing...

It meant the Pokémon was a trained Pokémon. Which was a complete contradiction to what he had thought before.

Or at least ... the possibility of it being a caught, trained, and therefore an uncatchable Pokémon was now very high.

But if that was the case, when did that happen?

Only Arceus knew how many times his last trainer...Gary, had tried to capture this particular Pokémon in the past few months...only to fail each time.

Once the Pokémon had even been sucked into one of Gary's Pokéballs, only to have escaped it shortly after.

To see her suddenly risking everything...even her very life...via trial by blade, to save the boys life...

It was as if she already knew the boy.

'Could she be 'his' Pokémon?' Pikachu wondered.

It would make sense, considering how worried she was currently acting.

Looking at the black dragon, Pikachu once again wondered just what type of Pokémon she was.

He had never seen her type before.

Of course that didn't mean much, as the world was huge. One could travel for years and not see every Pokémon in the world. Even now, he knew, new species were constantly being discovered.

Still, she looked like a dragon type... a steel dragon type at that.

Beyond rare.

If so, then it was even more surprising that she would help a human.

Dragon types, by their very nature, were even more cautious of humans than normal Pokémon.

There were very few humans who didn't want one. Hence dragons usually always stayed far away from humans, if they could manage it.

Dragons were also a very good judge of character...

For a dragon to help and trust a human...

Well...it spoke volumes about that human.

It was this more than anything that convinced Pikachu to give this particular human a chance.

Deciding to trust a dragons judgement, for it was usually never wrong, Pikachu left his hiding spot.

* * *

><p>Destiny was frantic. There was no better word to describe it.<p>

This was a classical 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation and she really didn't know what to do.

Here she was, injured herself, with a heavily injured human to take care of.

She didn't even know where the nearest human town was, let's not even talk about a human hospital.

Even if she knew where a town was, she was hardly going to leave Ash alone to get help. Not in his current state of health and especially not in a 'hot zone' like the one they were currently in. The chance of an enemy bird, any other Pokémon...or indeed a hungry mundane finding him was simply too large.

Besides...any human - she didn't think of herself as one anymore - would probably try to capture her first, ask questions later. By the time they somehow managed to understand her it would almost definitely be too late.

If that happened then all would be lost.

For a second Destiny considered taking Ash with her but scrapped that idea just as quickly.

If she knew anything about spine injuries, and it wasn't much, then it was imperative that Ash did not move...or indeed get moved at all.

Even the smallest wrong movement could be disastrous.

One bad move and Ash could very well die. At best he'd never walk again. Spine injuries were that dangerous.

Unfortunately staying in their current location was also a bad idea. The chance of a dangerous predator...or indeed one of those blasted birds finding them was simply too high.

She didn't know what she would do if that happened.

No! Ash simply could not stay in his current place. Something had to be done... and it had to be done fast.

But what?

Suddenly, as if fate had decided to help her along, Destiny heard a sudden sound, carried by the wind behind her. Going instantly to high alert, having learnt to never ignore such sounds, she swiftly turned around.

Her heart rate quickening in preparation for what was to come. She looked around, searching for any sign of any nearby 'enemy' Pokémon.

Knowing that she may well have to fight, or at least die trying if it turned out to be a hungry predator, she quickly scanned the area for any probable threat.

She knew, with Ash here too, as helpless as he currently was, there would be no escape.

Not this time. This battle would be her last.

And so, preparing for the worst, but dearly hoping for the best, she mentally prepared herself to make one last desperate stand, only to gape suddenly in surprise at the sudden new arrival, a certain very familiar yellow rodent, cautiously stepping out of a bush and slowly make his way towards her.

Whatever Destiny expected...seeing 'him' step out was not it. Unfortunately, due to her past history with this particular Pokémon, or rather said Pokémons trainer...'him' being here was not necessarily a good thing.

'Oh no...not him,' was her first thought, anxiousness and fear being swiftly joined by annoyance and anger.

On normal circumstances she would have been happy to see this particular yellow rodent...but...

Now was hardly that time.

'If he's here then that means 'he' is also not far away either,' she thought, frantically looking around for the Pokémon's trainer, a trainer who she believed was sure to be near by.

Not someone she really wanted to see any time soon.

In the past few months she had become frighteningly familiar with the arrogant antagonist of the first season.

Gary, for that was his name, was a snobbish arrogant...'jackass' who had tried many times to capture her every time they'd met. In short, he had quickly become the bane of her existence for the past few months.

Luckily all of those tries had been unsuccessful. Close...oh yes...very close. But unsuccessful.

So far at least.

As it was, she had no desire to meet him again any time soon. At least not while she wasn't officially one of Ash's party.

But at that moment it seemed unlikely, or so Destiny thought.

Fact was, If Gary was here...well, Destiny would not be surprised if he'd capture her first, then help Ash later. It was the sort of thing he would do. Capture her first, then help Ash while gloating all the way.

She could not let that happen, not now, not ever. She was to be Ash's and nobody else's. Nobody else would do. Especially not Gary.

Suddenly her eyes widened.

'But if capturing me saved Ash?' she wondered. 'It would be a severe set back, sure, but...in light of the circumstances...'

'NO! it could not be allowed to happen...'

Not now...not when she was so close.

'But then again...' she thought, indecisively, before her eyes suddenly widened even more and a smile appeared on her face. Maybe, just maybe she didn't have to. This could well be a hidden curse in a blessings clothing. Or was that a blessing in a curses clothing...

It would not matter.

Sighing, in a mixture of relief and annoyance. Destiny prepared herself for Gary's arrival. If she had to she would lead him to Ash, then teleport away once more, as soon as she was sure Gary had seen Ash.

With her gone, Gary would have no distractions, and as such no reason not to look after Ash. An arrogant prick and rival he might be, but there was no way he would not help Ash in his current state. She would use that to her advantage.

Sure, it would set her eventual capture and joining of Ash's team back a bit, but... in light of the current circumstances, it was preferable. Besides, if she was stealthy enough, and kept her head down, she might be able to follow Gary...and therefore Ash to the nearest town. After that, the rest would be easy. Or so she thought.

Her mind made up, Destiny silently watched Pikachu slowly make his way over, while also keeping a stern watch out for his 'master'. Only to frown, when for some reason, the master, if that was the right term, did not come.

It hardly seemed possible, however, the blasted rodent...was alone.

That more than anything made Destiny even more nervous. Where was Gary?

Frowning, Destiny watched the famous rodent of the anime come closer until he was nearly at her side.

It was only then that her anxious, paranoid brain realised the state Pikachu, himself, was in.

* * *

><p>Destiny's eyes widened as she finally realised Pikachu's current state of health.<p>

'What the hell happened to 'him'!' she wondered as she took in his many injuries.

Pikachu had cuts and bruises all over his body, and while they were already visibly healing, it was still obvious he had been in a brutal fight for his life. Especially if the singe mark on his fur, obvious signs of overpowering an electrical attack to an unsafe level - even for an electrical Pokémon- was any indication.

Suddenly Destiny's eyes widened as a sudden fearful thought crept into Destiny's mind.

Did the Fearows get Gary?

Oh Arceus, she really hoped not.

He may have been, in her opinion, an arrogant little twit, with an over inflated ego that needed to be taken down a step or two, but he did not deserve... that. Besides...she still needed him to test Ash's progress from time to time. He couldn't do that if he was...

'No...don't even think about it,' she scolded herself.

Destiny was busy working her mind into an even more frantic state when suddenly Pikachu started to speak.

"Erm...ah...can I help?"

* * *

><p>Pikachu had never been so nervous in his life.<p>

It was not everyday a common field mouse, Pokémon or not, like himself, went to speak to an Apex Predator like a dragon. In this case a Steel-dragon type Pokémon.

Pikachu knew, he was strong for his type...but he was nothing when compared to the power of a dragon type.

Even the weakest of Dragon Pokémon were nearly always at least high level B's on the strength hierarchy...in their weakest forms. At most, he was currently a low level B in terms of strength...and that was only when using his most powerful attacks.

Pikachu had no illusion. If this Dragon - he was sure it was one - was anyway like the others of it's ilk, well...if she turned out to be the aggressive type he, a Pikachu, would be in serious trouble.

Slowly, cautiously, ready to bolt at a mere aggressive twitch from the dragon, Pikachu attempted to make himself seem as friendly as possible - not that he was very dangerous at that moment to begin with, as injured as he currently was.

Then again, so was the Dragon... but that only made the situation even worse. Everybody knew, an injured wild Pokémon, like any other animal, could be at it's most desperate while cornered and injured... making it unpredictable...and that more than anything else made Pikachu very nervous.

Luckily, most Pokémon chose to communicate first...attack second.

Pikachu froze twice on his way to the dragon. Once, when she first noticed him, the second, when she obviously realised who he was, which, unsurprisingly seemed to aggravate her, even if only briefly.

Pikachu couldn't blame her. Their last few encounters had not exactly been on friendly terms. Far from it really. The last time she had seen him, he had just been ordered to attack her by his now former master.

While Pikachu knew, that she knew, that he only attacked her because he had been ordered to, it hardly was a good way to gain some trust. It was therefore no real surprise that she was currently acting very anxious. Pikachu only hoped she would give him a chance.

Luckily, she had never shown any notion of holding it against him, at least not so far, and it was only this and the fact that trained Pokémon usually avoided attacking others - unless ordered to attack by their trainers first - which gave Pikachu his current courage to join her by, what Pikachu assumed, was her trainers side.

Grasping at all of his remaining courage, unsure of what to actually say, Pikachu started to speak, saying the first thing which came to his mind.

"Erm...ah...can I help?"

* * *

><p>Destiny, deep in her thoughts when Pikachu started to speak, jumped in momentary fright and reflexively took a defensive body stance.<p>

Her movements, as sudden as they were, were more than enough to startle the yellow rodent who, mistaking her sudden movement as a sign of imminent attack, quickly took a few hurried steps back, before also taking a defensive stance of his own.

Only then did Destiny realise what had happened.

"Please don't hurt me...I only want to help," Pikachu said quickly, frantically, eyes wide in fear. Her sudden movement had frightened him more than he wanted to admit. It was obvious from the way he spoke, fast, with a slightly high pitch in his voice not to forget, the small tremble in his body, that he was barely holding himself together.

Pikachu cursed himself for the obvious fear he was showing in his voice and body, but he knew the damage was already done. He only hoped he could somehow convince the dragon not to attack him. He didn't think he'd have much of a chance against her otherwise.

Once again Pikachu was reminded of the dangerous situation he was currently in. Or so he thought. Was was he thinking, he wondered.

He need not have worried though. Realising Pikachu's obvious fear, Destiny immediately also did her best to appear as non threatening as possible. After all, for obvious reasons, she did not want a fight.

From her experiences in the past few months in the wild, she knew that most Pokémon were automatically scared and very cautious around dragons. An ironic twist of fate which she had quickly learned to fully use to her advantage. Ironic, because at no time would she actually have been able to effectively hurt any of them. A fight, any fight, would would been quite...one sided, to say the very least. Though not in the way anybody, besides herself, would have expected.

Seeing her relax, Pikachu sighed in relief and took it as a sign to continue.

"I saw what happened a few moments ago...and well... I was wondering if you could use some help," he said again, this time without the fearful squeak in his voice, though it was still fairly obvious that he was afraid, very afraid.

Destiny stared at the little rodent, scrutinizing him. Whatever she had thought he was going to say...offering to help her was not one of them. She had expected to be attacked again...with Gary trying to capture her...not an obviously frightened rodent asking if he could help her.

"I mean...only if you want me too. I wouldn't never presume that a dragon like you would...," Pikachu continued to say. Destiny, however, tuned out the rest of Pikachu's rambling speech, choosing instead to study this 'weak' rodent before her.

She sighed heavily. 'I should have expected this,' she thought to herself.

This was not the iconic Pikachu of the show...not yet at least.

Destiny had to remind herself that this was not yet Ash's trained and tested partner from the show, but an untested, untrained Pokémon. Weak and still fairly wild! A far cry from the famous symbol he would one day become.

Still, the fact that he was speaking to her at all, when he didn't know she was no threat to him, spoke volumes about his courage. A lot of courage. She couldn't help but respect him for it.

With those thoughts in mind Destiny softened her expression even more and did her best to relax her body just enough to show that she too meant no harm, however, not enough to seem too trusting either.

Destiny knew she had to be very careful now. She could not afford a misunderstanding. Not now.

Seeing she had gained Pikachu's attention she started to speak.

"Forgive me... Pikachu, as you can see I'm currently having a... shall we say, bad day,' she said while motioning towards Ash's unconscious body.

"And yes of course you can help me," she added, giving Pikachu a rather forced smile.

* * *

><p>Pikachu, now happy that the dragon had seemingly decided to be peaceful, relaxed and looked towards Ash.<p>

Finally remembering the reason why he had put himself into danger and risked the dragons might in the first place, he nodded solemnly.

"Is he...your master?" he asked moving towards Ash's unconscious body to take a closer look, finally asking the question that had been interesting him for some time now.

Destiny frowned. She did not like the word 'master' but in a way it was true. Once captured, she would be under his direct control...and in a way she would even become his property. Still...she preferred the word trainer. Master was in her opinion a name a slave would give it's owner. She was in no way, and never would be... a slave.

Then again, it was also name an apprentice would give it's teacher... so maybe she could tolerate it. Still, if at all possible, she would prefer the word trainer to master.

"If by master you mean trainer... then no, he's not... not yet," she answered slightly frostily without really meaning to, adding in the 'yet' part at the end a second later as a way to make her future intentions clear.

This was not the answer Pikachu had expected and the expression on his face showed his disbelief rather clearly.

"Not yet?...What do you..."

Pikachu would have continued speaking, but at that very moment both Pokémon heard a quiet groan coming from Ash's body near by.

Hearing Ash seemingly wake up Destiny immediately turned around and began to run a scan on Ash's body once more.

Deciding that he could ask any other questions later, when they had more time and when the boy - who surprisingly he now knew was not the dragons trainer after all - was taken care of and out of danger, Pikachu followed her silently and watched with interest as Ash's body started to glow a myriad of different colours. Colours which obviously seemed to mean something to the mysterious dragon.

Unsure of what was happening, but deciding it best not to distract the dragon from whatever it was she was doing, Pikachu decided to simply watch and wait.

* * *

><p>Ash groaned as his senses slowly came back to him, bit my bit, memory by memory.<p>

'Where am I?'...'Why am I in so much pain?' he wondered. The last thing he remembered was not receiving a starter Pokémon from the professor because he was late.

'What happened?'

Slowly his other memories started to come back to him... himself unwilling to wait for another year, himself deciding to go Pokéhunting for a starter instead of waiting another year... how he had gone out to try and capture a wild Pokémon to replace the starter he had not received...how he had failed to capture the pidgey...then the strange meeting of the other pidgey's...right up to...

Ash eyes flew open in shock and he immediately tried to move, only to suddenly realise he could not.

He remembered his battle against the Fearow. How he had fought it. How he had seemingly won...only to have been tricked and nearly killed.

Suddenly he remembered the wing...

It had been coming right towards him...

The wing!

It was coming right towards him.

It was going to kill him!

He remembered the panic!

There was no other word that could fully describe what Ash had felt and was still feeling.

Acting on automatic instinct, not realizing that the danger had already passed, Ash tried to move again, however, once again, he could not... his legs...his whole lower body to be exact, didn't cooperate with him anymore.

A crazed panic stricken look in his eyes, Ash tried to look around, to find the crazed Fearow, at least as much as his current body's state would let him, managing little more than to peek over his shoulder.

Not seeing anything, but still believing the danger to be there, he froze...and waited.

Strangely, however nothing happened...

Why was he was still alive?

His heart racing, it was at that moment he saw a black Dragon rushing to his side...

Then he screamed.

* * *

><p>Destiny flinched as she heard Ash scream.<p>

Was he in pain?

'Duh! of course he is... he's paralyised and has just been in a battle for his life. Of course he is is pain,' she scolded herself.

But wait... that was not a scream of pain...that was more like a scream of terror!

It was at that moment that Destiny realised with a pang that, while Ash was indeed in pain, the reason why he was screaming was more because he was afraid...of her.

Horrified, Destiny took a quick step back in denial. This was not something she had wanted...or indeed expected.

Ash was supposed to trust her and be happy to see her...not fear her.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

This was all wrong!

But then again...what did she expect. Dragons, unless trained usually ate humans.

No wonder why Ash was screaming, she realised, finally understanding the situation. She would too if she thought she was going to be eaten any second.

::I'm not going to hurt you!:: she tried to say, only to curse, when she remembered that of course he wasn't able to understand her.

"NO! Go away... HELP! HELP ME!" she heard Ash shout.

'Damn it!' what should I do? she asked herself, distressed with the current situation.

She didn't know what to do. Talking to him wouldn't work. He couldn't understand her.

So how to gain his trust? Was that even possible? she wondered.

Destiny had no illusions that she looked scary. In fact, she knew she looked scary and dragons were after all the most powerful Pokémon around, except perhaps the non dragon legendaries.

'I should have thought this through a bit more first,' she thought, scolding herself, feeling miserable.

Looking around she noticed Pikachu had retreated into a near by bush the moment Ash had started screaming.

So much for Ash's best friend from the show.

Frustrated Destiny looked at the Pikachu then Ash, then Pikachu again, alternating from the hiding Pikachu and the distressed Pokémon Trainer.

Ash still was screaming.

Then suddenly, she got an idea.

'I really can't believe I'm about to do this,' she thought, an embarrassed blush appearing on her face, as she began to move towards Ash.

* * *

><p>Ash was scared out of his mind.<p>

As if waking up and rediscovering that you are unable to move from the waist down was not already upsetting enough. To suddenly see a black and silver... 'Dragon' of all things, with sharp claws and glowing red eyes in front of you, looking at you and doing who knows what to you. All of this after an almost certain death experience... well...he could hardly be blamed for reacting in the way he currently was... in a panic, fearing for his life.

If this has the afterlife, then he was almost certainly in hell, and he wanted nothing to do with it, or so he thought.

Then the dragon suddenly moved closer once again.

Seeing this Ash closed his eyes and went limp. Shivering, expecting the worst, he waited tensely for the first bite. Of all of the stories he had heard so far from travelling trainers who had visited Pallet town, dragons were always the most dangerous, the most vicious of them all. He had always heard stories of how dragons ate humans. He had always been told to stay away from them at all costs and to never try to capture one until he was a seasoned trainer with at least one league's worth of experience attached to his belt. So why would this time be any different.

He fully expected his end to come at any moment...

Only, the expected bite didn't come.

Instead, he suddenly felt something wet all over his face.

At first he froze up even more, whimpering, still expecting the worst. He could feel the dragons breath all over his face. He was sure of it.

Then the wetness continued, followed by a rough sensation moving up and down his face.

'What the hell?' he thought. What was happening? Still he didn't move.

The wetness had sticky feeling continued.

Slowly, his curiosity finally getting the better of his fear, he slowly opened his eyes and gaped as he finally realised what was actually happening.

At first he couldn't believe it. How could this possibly be. No dragon did this. It was impossible... right?

Dragons didn't do this... or did they?

Seemingly they did.

He couldn't believe it...he didn't know what to think. Yet it was happening.

To him!

The dragon was licking him...like a dog would when welcoming it's owner.

Still too afraid to move away, but now no longer screaming, his fear and screams momentarily forgotten in the chaos of the dragons friendly slobber, Ash, completely taken by surprise, simply gaped and stared.

It took a few more minutes but slowly he began to realise he was not about to become this dragons next meal after all. Instead this dragon seemed to...like him?

Dazed out of his mind, Ash simply let it happen. What else could he do anyway. What choice did he have? It was not like he was able to do much about it anyway. Even if he had still been able to fully move. No one would have dared.

At that moment he was simply happy to still be alive. Even if his current situation was certainly less than desirable. Somehow against all odds, it seemed, he had survived.

Slowly a slight smile appeared over is face. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

><p>Destiny mentally sighed in relief as Ash stopped screaming. She really didn't know what she would have done if this had failed. By her luck his screams would have almost certainly brought the whole forest down on them...or worse...<p>

She was in no shape to defend him from the forests other inhabitants.

Luckily however, as embarrassing for her as it had been, her 'idea' had paid off.

Slowly, making sure, not to move too fast and making extra sure to act as nonthreatening as possible Destiny stopped licking Ash and noticed that he was trying to stay as still as possible. Considering the situation, definitely for the best.

Seeing that Ash was not about to do anything any time soon she looked around for the third member of their little group.

Finding him still in the bush, she gave him a quick glare.

:: Not very useful are you?:: she said, somewhat peeved.

Pikachu wisely didn't answer.

'Now all I have to do is find a way to gain Ash's trust...and get captured,' she thought looking back at Ash, who promptly froze the moment she looked at him again.

'Scrap that...captured first, trust later,' she amended her thoughts. Everything would be so much easier and faster once she could speak with him.

Destiny mentally cursed. All would have been so much easier if only she could have been able to speak to Ash right from the start. Unfortunately that was not possible until she was captured... by Ash.

Suddenly her eyes widened and she felt like hitting herself.

'Of course...you idiot!...That's it. It is that simple. I simply have to be captured!' she thought, mentally smacking herself for her self perceived idiocy.

And the best way to do that is...

Immediately, a gleam appearing in her eyes and a grin on her face, she looked at Ash. Not just at Ash, but at a very particular part of Ash.

'Doesn't he have a few 'balls' hidden down there?' she mused, glancing downwards.

Pikachu, watching her from the safety of the bush, suddenly felt nervous. It was as if he could sense something unprecedented was about to happen.

Pikachu watched as the Dragon suddenly become serious and look down... then, when she suddenly became very interested in a certain part of the boys body, he frowned.

Ash for his part watched her warily, nervously. Not at all sure if he wanted to know what she was doing.

"What are you...?" he started to ask before he froze in horror as Destiny's snout suddenly moved down and start to move aside some of his clothes, obviously searching for something. Only he didn't know that.

"...Doing?" doing were Ash's last words before he screamed in fear and horror.

"Fuck!...me!"...

"NO!"

Pikachu for his part, had a look of confusion appearing on his face, which soon also turned into a look of horror by each passing second.

::Hey what are you doing?:: he tried to say, as he continued to watch the dragons actions.

Destiny, seemingly frustrated with her inability to find a few certain 'balls' answered with :: I'm looking for his balls:: had started to tug at the boys pants and was now seemingly trying to take them off.

Embarrassed by what he was seeing Pikachu tried to look away.

Ash for his part had become very quiet, she eyes wide open in fear.

::Erm...Don't you think you're taking this...a little too far?:: Pikachu asked embarrassed at what he was seeing, a blush growing in size all over his face by the second, his face turning into a deeper reddish colour as he did his best to 'try' to ignore Destiny's efforts to seemingly undress the boy. Several indecent thoughts entered his little mind as Destiny finally managed to somehow relieve the pants from one of Ash's legs, only to somehow end up getting her face stuck inside the rest of boys pants.

Destiny far too obsessed in her current goal to care about what she was doing, ignored the yellow rodent and continued her search of Ash's pants for one of Ash's balls.

Ash, traumatized by what was happening, could only stare at the nightmare developing in front of him.

'Damn claws are too small...need to use my mouth more' Destiny thought furiously completely ignoring the blushing Pikachu and her soon to he traumatized 'partner', who at that moment was thinking the worst of this newest dragon 'friend'. Pikachu for his part was getting more and more flustered by the second.

'I can't believe this is happening,' Pikachu thought with a groan, not sure what to do about the current situation. A thought his was echo'd hysterically by the poor human near by.

'I can't believe this is happening to me,' Ash thought, his mind finally realising what he thought was happening. 'I'm being...'used'...by a Pokémon.' or so he thought.

::Hey you're a Pokémon...He's human...you don't mix,:: Pikachu tried to say, his voice little more than an embarrassed squeak, only to stop in horror when suddenly...

:: YES! there it is! I found one... I found a ball!:: came Destiny's voice.

A cry of victory which caused Pikachu to gag.

Using her snout to press the button on top of the ball Destiny watched as it expanded into into a ball twice it's size. Hoping it was an unused ball, she nudged it again... and suddenly disappeared in a flash of red light.

Pikachu, not able to see what was happening and not privy to Destiny's plans, squeaked in surprise, his eyes metaphorically growing as large as dinner plates, as Destiny suddenly dematerialized in a flash of red light, and disappeared right into and up Ash's loose pant leg.

His mouth wide open, Pikachu shook his head.

Ash his eyes wide open in horror, not understanding what had happened, mentally screamed out in denial.

"No way!... Oh my Arceus!" both cried out, gaping in surprise, half horror and half humiliation.

"This can't be happening!" Ash cried out in horror, believing the worst, only for a small blinking, Pokeball to suddenly roll out of one of his pant legs, shake once, shake twice, flash purple, then green, then red, before finally coming to a complete stand still with a slight...

*Ping*

* * *

><p><em><strong>At that very moment, Professor Oaks lab.<strong>_

At the very moment Destiny was sucked into one of Ash's empty Pokéballs, in the next town, several kilometers away in Professor Oaks lab, one of the Professors many Pokégadget's began to blink and release a sharp cacophony of whistles and tones.

Now, under normal circumstances this would have simply alerted the good professor, who, after realizing directly which of his many gadgets was causing the racket, would have checked out what the commotion was all about.

Had he still been around to check on the reason of this particular little gadgets commotion, he would no doubt have suddenly become very excited...maybe even excited enough to momentarily forget about the approaching storm.

A few seconds of celebration and a quick little dance later he would then have teleported Destiny's Pokéball to him with said Pokémon safely inside.

However, luckily, for the people of Pallet...and Ash, he was not.

As fate would have it the professor was busy preparing for the incoming storm and as such was not present to witness, what for him would have been the miraculous rebirth of a Pokémon he had thought to be lost.

And so, Destiny's capture would remain a secret for a little while longer, only to be noticed days later after the storm had finally passed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>At that very moment, The Hall of origin. <strong>_

Arceus smiled. It was the first real smile in many weeks.

She had finally done it.

A few moment ago he had, once again, felt one of his many children get captured inside one of the human contraptions known as a pokeball. Only this one was different.

He knew what it meant.

Whenever a legendary was captured it felt different to as If a 'normal' were to be captured.

This 'capture' felt different again... which, in turn could only mean one thing.

His other second chosen one had just been captured... and if Mew did her job right...which he was sure She had...and everything went as he had foreseen, hopefully by Ash.

Arceus sighed in relief.

Yes, It had been touch and go there for a while, but his second chosen one had finally succeeded.

The first part of her mission was now complete.

Finally... finally he could turn his full concentration to thwart Seucra's further attempts.

The rest was now up to his chosen ones and while he knew the path before them would be filled with hardships and many tests, he had complete fate they would succeed where he himself had not.

And then, when the time was right...

In their darkest hour.

When all seemed lost...

And little hope remained...

The fate of the worlds would lay in their hands.

And come what may...

He would allow them to choose.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

Well, it's me again.

Sorry for the long delay but it can't be helped.

I'm currently working 11 hr shifts... not much time for story writing...at least not if I still want a life.

All I'll say is that I will continue writing and I'll update whenever I can.

Hope you enjoyed his chapter... Destiny is now finally together with Ash.

Next up...well..you'll see :-P

Until next time...!

Oh and if you have any questions...don't be shy, I might even answer them...or explain them during a chapter.

This is the Light Lord...signing out!


	16. Angry Birds Pokéstyle - Part 1

:: Pidgey's to me!:: = Pokéspeech

(((I am a Pokédex))) = Pokédex speech

***BOOM*** = Loud noises and other similar effects.

**"I am your partner"= **Destiny speaking with Ash telepathically. (Only Ash and Destiny can hear this)

**Special Note:** I have made the Kanto region (and the other regions) larger than their counterparts in the games and the anime. For this story, there will be the major towns and cities as shown on the maps and also a lot of other smaller towns and villages i.e. Breezecove (David's home village) which can be found approximately 25km south east of Pallet Town.

You can consider the forest surrounding Pallet town to be a lot larger as well. It also surrounds Pallet down from two sides, west and east, with the forest going on for many kilometers to the west. So a lot more room for a lot more birds...and pokémon. To the south there is the Rainbow sea which leads to Cinnabar Island.

It was mentioned that it took Ash's father 4 days to reach Viridian city. This would have included stops to train his pokémon...as well as meal breaks, etc...

I don't think Ash's father would have been in a hurry to get to Viridian city. So, keeping this in mind, for this story I will consider his 4 days to be the average time for someone to travel on foot from Pallet to Viridian.

In this story an average pokémon trainer will be able to easily walk 20-30 kilometers a day. An average walking speed on a flat ground, unhindered, in good weather, is (I think) about 2-3 mph (4-5 kmph). Basically this would mean that it would take a normal person about 6-8hrs to travel the full 30Km (18.6 miles)... or maybe 8-10 hrs if you took your time. In other words one full day. Trainers would of course travel less during winter time (reduced day light) or during bad weather (for obvious reasons).

For this story the distance from Pallet to Viridian will be about 35 - 40 Kilometers and another 50-60 km through Viridian forest to reach Pewter city. (There would also be a few smaller villages in between, villages which were never mentioned in the anime) Travelling in the pokémon world takes time. A lot of time. There are roads and bus services, not to mention the Goldenrod-Safron railway service...but trainers tend to walk most of the time. Unless of course they use their flying pokémon to fly... or their physic pokémon to teleport them instead. Obviously by doing this they would miss a lot of pokémon on the way.

Note: in chapter 8 the sign said 20km to Viridian city. At this point they were already on their second day after leaving Breezecove Village.

So, keeping all of the above in mind, Ash should be able to easily get from Pallet town to Viridian city in two days...(20km per day) or if he walked 10-13 hrs straight he might even be able to do it in one day. (which I think he even did in the anime - even if he used a bike and a river for a good part of it )

Obviously using a bike or a car for that matter...(*cough* Gary *cough*) would drastically cut down your travelling time.

* * *

><p><strong>PARA( ｡◕‿‿◕｡)DOX<strong>

Angry Birds...Pokéstyle - Part 1

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously on Paradox:<strong>_

* * *

><p>::YES! there it is! I found one... I found a ball!:: came Destiny's voice. She had just found one of Ash's pokéballs.<p>

She released a cry of victory which caused Pikachu, who was believing 'the worst' from the dragon pokémon, to gag.

Using her snout to press the button on top of the ball Destiny watched as it expanded into into a ball twice it's size. Hoping it was an unused ball, she nudged it again... and suddenly disappeared in a flash of red light.

Pikachu, not able to see what was happening and not privy to Destiny's plans, squeaked in surprise, his eyes metaphorically growing as large as dinner plates, as Destiny suddenly dematerialized in a flash of red light, and disappeared right into and up Ash's loose pant leg.

His mouth wide open, Pikachu shook his head.

Ash his eyes wide open in horror, not understanding what had happened, mentally screamed out in denial.

"No way!...

Oh my Arceus!" both cried out, gaping in surprise, half horror and half humiliation.

"This can't be happening!" Ash cried out in horror, believing the worst, only for a small blinking, pokéball to suddenly roll out of one of his pant legs, shake once, shake twice, flash blue, then green, then red, before finally coming to a complete stand still with a slight...

*Ping*

* * *

><p><strong><em>And now the continuation:<em>**

* * *

><p>Traumatized! There was no other words for it. Completely traumatized from what had just happened, Ash stared at the small pokéball in front of him with wide open eyes.<p>

He could not believe what had happened - or rather nearly happened - just mere seconds ago.

Only a few seconds ago, he had feared the worst. He had feared for his life... He had feared that he was about to be eaten...or worse...shagged to death by a horny dragon!

Definitely not how he imagined he would spend his last few moments of his, so far, short life.

Luckily it did not come to that!

He really didn't want to know what could have happened if the dragon had not, by some miracle, against all odds, by the mercy of the great Acreus, caught herself in the pokéball.

Honestly, he'd have preferred the 'to get eaten' part over the... 'other alternative' any day.

Seriously, he would be the first to admit that he loved the mons, big and small, fierce and calm, cute and ugly, it didn't matter, he love them all, really he did. He would do practically anything for them...

But... not THAT!

pokémon and humans really were not meant to mix in 'that' way. The mere thought alone sent shivers up his spine and made him sweat in unholy terror.

If he happened to get laid some day - and he did fully intend to, someday - he seriously hoped it would be with a sexy 'human' girl... not a 'pokémon' girl, thank you very much.

Come to think of it, he didn't even know if the pokémon was indeed female!

Luckily, it didn't matter anymore. Luckily, before the dragon could actually do the dirty deed (or so Ash thought) it had suddenly disappeared... in a red flash of light.

Gave him quite a scare too, that did, but hey!... Horny dragon captured, disaster averted! His ass was safe...literally... and that was all that mattered.

Thank you Arceus!

Even better, the dragon had been caught in not just any pokéball.

But HIS pokéball!

That meant...

That meant that HE, Ash Ketchum, future pokémon master - or so he hoped - had just caught a pokémon.

And not just any pokémon...

But a dragon!

The toughest, meanest, usually most powerful 'top-mon' pokémon (besides the legendaries) in the neighborhood.

He Ash Ketchum...a rookie trainer...first day on his journey...had just done the near impossible (for a rookie) and had caught a dragon pokémon.

Such a thing was practically unheard of.

In fact the only known rookie who had ever replicated this feat had befriended it before starting her journey and as such didn't have to catch it.

If only his teacher could see him now, Ash thought with a smile.

And to think she said I'd never make it as a trainer.

For a brief second, realising what had happened, Ash smiled and could have danced in joy. That is, he could have if he had still been able to.

Unfortunately, jumping around, was currently just not possible for him anymore.

One second later, having tried to move, Ash's smile faded again almost instantly.

On second thoughts, perhaps it was just as well that his teacher had not seen it after all. This would no doubt have earned him a big fat D...

D for disaster!

Almost instantly his sudden briefly gained joy was quickly replaced by great fear.

He had hoped his inability to move was only temporary. However, with increasing horror Ash quickly realised that it was not the case.

What could he do? He was practically helpless if he couldn't move. He couldn't even rely on his new pokémon, or so he thought, to protect him. He may now have a pokémon...a rare dragon at that. But only a fool trusted a newly captured untrained dragon so soon after just capturing it. In fact, he didn't even know a thing about it yet.

Ash knew he wasn't the brightest poképuff in the poképuff jar. He knew very well that he was no where near the top of the class... he was actually at the bottom... However, even so, he was in no way a fool.

Suddenly, it was at that very moment, as if reading and wanting to prove his depressing thoughts false, that the pokéball suddenly opened in a flash of red light, releasing the freshly caught dragon.

'Oh oh'.

Not good!

Not good at all!

Realising that the dragon was in the process of releasing itself, Ash froze and could do nothing but watch.

That dragon was not going to be happy, he thought, with a whimper, just as the dragon reformed in front of him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Not very far away, in another part of the forest<strong>_

Mew was not a happy Mew!

Far from it.

Currently she was a stressed out and very worried Mew indeed. So worried in fact, that she honestly felt like crying...but didn't, if only to avoid humiliating herself. After all, she had a reputation to keep...and a bad-ass legendary obviously did not cry. Sigh, moan and complain...yes... but never cry!

Still...bad-ass legendary or not, that didn't change her current situation.

Here she was, charged by Arceus himself, to protect a juvenile all important pokémon, a pokémon which couldn't even protect herself from the weakest Caterpie, and she didn't have a clue where said charge even was.

It was any bodyguards largest nightmare!

She could have been enjoying herself, sight-seeing in the warm waters of the Jhoto region, inspecting the whirlpools near Cianwood city, or even surfing the waves near seafoam island. Instead, she was searching the depths of a dark dreary forest near Pallet town for her illusive charge. A forest packed, from one end to the other, with feuding fanatical angry birds, most of which would no doubt love to kill her or the very same pokémon she had to protect.

It was so depressing!

How?... Just how, was she supposed to protect that pokémon if she didn't even know where it was? she asked herself gloomily.

For all she knew her charge could be under attack at that very moment...helpless...hurt... dying...or maybe even already...

NO!...

Just... NO!

She couldn't think like that.

It simply wasn't allowed to happen.

Not now...not ever!

She could not fail.

Too much depended on her success for her to fail.

The future of world for one.

Failure was unthinkable. Especially if what Arceus had said was true.

_**Mini Flashback**_

_Mew was standing in front of Arceus who was giving her her orders to protect Destiny._

_Arceus looks directly into mews eyes then begins to speak:_

_"Mew...one last thing before I let you go...," he said, his voice suddenly turning cold, something which shocked Mew._

_"You are not...I repeat not to go sight seeing while on the way to your charge...I know how much you like to...deviate from your normal duties. This should not happen here. It is of the utmost importance that you do not fail me," Arceus said and paused for a second before continuing with a small sigh._

_He hated what he was about to say, but it had to be said, if only to show how serious he was about the current situation. "Mew...there is no easy way of saying this so I'll just go ahead and say it...let me make this perfectly clear to you...should Destiny not survive...then...(here Arceus paused for a second and even let out a small sob before he continued)...then neither should you._

_**End of Mini Flashback**_

If what Arceus said was true - and there was no reason to believe that it was not - then this dragon...Destiny, was very important. Crucially important even.

So important in fact that Arceus had even placed her well-being above her own.

Why? What did that dragon have that she did not?

What made her so important?

She was like the mother of all pokémon, expect of course the other legendaries.

Her DNA was after all used to create all the other common pokémon. All but the other legendaries to be exact!

How was it possible that this pathetic little dragon was more important than her?

Oh, Mew was sure that Arceus had some good reasons for this... but that did not really make her feel any better about her current plight.

Still...she had been given a task... and as such she would find a way to protect that dragon. Even if it was the last thing she would ever do.

As it was...fact was, that dragon just had to be around here somewhere. Mew was sure of that. Maybe over that next hill...or the next... or even the next after that. But definitely nearby.

Oh please...Arceus...anybody! Please let her still be alive, Mew thought to herself.

Looking around Mew noticed a few clouds on the horizon and frowned when she noticed that they were steadily turning dark.

Oh, Great! Just another thing to cause her even more worry. The clouds were building up quickly... too quickly, and they were already turning a dark grey.

Grey clouds meant rain...even darker grey clouds meant... a storm...and darker than that meant...

...Huge trouble!

Huge trouble she really did not need!

Clouds turning dark this quickly nearly always meant that a large storm was approaching. Absolutely not something she needed right now. It would only make her search even more difficult.

'Why oh why is this happening now of all times?' She asked herself.

'Arceus... I could really use some help around now,' she thought miserably, wishing for some sort of sign..any sort of sign of what to do.

Mew was just about to teleport away and try her luck in a different section of the forest when suddenly, as if her plea had been answered, for better or worse, her sensitive pink cat like ears picked up the soft approaching sounds of fast beating wings.

Knowing she was currently invisible and as such unable to be seen, she didn't really care about the new arrival. However, with the current war of the 'angry birds' in the forest, only a fool would actually ignore the sound of approaching wings, especially now, just in case it actually turned out to be a Fearow...or worse... a flight of Fearow.

Invisible she might currently be...but invisible did not make you intangible...and one did not get as old as she by being careless and doing stupid things.

Soon Mew was able to spot the new arrivals and sighed in relief. It was a flock of freindly Pidgeys, and Pidgottos... and all seemed to be in a hurry. No doubt, they were on a mission of high importance.

As if there was any other kind of missions lately with the current Fearow crisis.

Deciding to follow and talk to the Pidgeys and Pidgeottos, knowing they would no doubt have valuable information for her...or at the very least they could lead her to someone else who might, Mew quickly activated her transform ability and transformed herself into a shiny Pidgeot. That done, pausing just long enough to make sure that she was at the back of the flock - so as not to startle them by suddenly appearing from thin air - , she willed herself to be visible.

**"Pidgeo"** ::Report!:: she cawed out commandingly, making sure that her voice was in Pidgeot speech.

The flock of Pidgeys and Pidgeottos, first hearing, then seeing what they thought was a Pidgeot - the ultimate commanders of all Pidgeys and Pidgeottos, with shiny Pidgeots - since they were usually stronger than their normal counterparts - being even above normal Pidgeots - quickly took a brief moment to elect one of their members to fall back and talk to the larger bird.

Mew, seeing one of the birds; a Pidgey fall back, waited patiently for the small bird to come closer. She knew from experience that it was standard flock policy to send one, usually one of the weaker members of the flock, to report while the rest continued on their way without breaking formation.

::Ma'am! Flight Gamma, on our way to reinforce Battle-Flock Six near the humans nests, reporting in, Ma'am!:: the Pidgey quickly stated while coming to a steady flight beside the transformed legendary.

Mew nodded. :: Sitrep!:: Mew ordered, acknowledging the Pidgey and doing her best to ignore the Pidgey's military behavior. It was necessary right now.

::Yes Ma'am! A large group of Fearows and Spearows have been sighted flying over the northern area, near the human nests of Pallet... Battle-roost Delta believes they are preparing to attack the humans:: the Pidgey reported.

Hearing this Mew cringed. A Fearow attack was never good news. A Fearow battle-flight attacking the humans was even worse and asking for trouble.

::How many?:: Mew asked, already fearing the worst. There was no need to ask how many of what.

::Ma'am, several thousand at last estimate, four hundred of which are Fearows, at minimum, and more reinforcements are arriving all the time:: the PidgeotPidgeot answered.

Mew blinked, taken completely by surprise. She must have misheard.

Did that Pidgey just say...

As if reading her mind the Pidgey repeated:

:: I repeat, at least three thousand Spearows have been sighted and at least four hundred of these are Fearow's, Ma'am! They seem to be preparing to attack the human nests!::

'Mew opened her mouth to respond...but found that she couldn't find the right words to reply. Her surprise, quickly turned into horror. Mouth open in disbelief, she was so shocked that for a second she even forgot to fly.

::You're serious!:: Mew asked, quickly recovering, clear surprise in her shocked voice.

::Ma'am!, Yes Ma'am! I am very serious, Ma'am! came the PidgeysPidgeys brisk, no nonsense reply.

...

...

...

'Damnation!'

THAT changed everything!

The situation was even worse than she expected. Far worse! In fact, one would not be wrong in saying that it was completely 'Fowled'-Up Beyond All Repair.

There was no possible way this could be hidden from the humans... not this time. Not anymore.

It was simply not possible.

Someone had really fouled up this time.

By Arceus..., this was bad... oh this was very very bad.

This was no small attack by a flock of the usual unruly bullies...

Mew had expected a flock of twenty...or Arceus forbid, thirty...even fifty birds at maximum...That alone was already overkill for the best of times.

But several thousand! THOUSAND!...and more coming by the minute.

This was nothing short of ludicrous!

In a dark, non humorous sort of way.

Ok! True!...There were many many birds in the forest...unseen tens of thousands upon thousands if you counted them all... The forest around pallet town and the other western towns was large, spreading across many kilometers. Pallet itself was just one town of many on the southern peninsula alone. It also just happened to be one of the larger ones. But these were Spearows and quite a few Fearows. All large birds and nothing compared to their mundane counterparts.

Where did they all come from?

What in the name of Arceus was going on here? Mew asked herself.

For them to attack...all at... the...

...same...

time...

...

...

...

Slowly her eyes widened even further...

'Oh no,' she whispered to herself.

That could only mean one thing.

It was all so obvious now.

This was no ordinary attack...

This was an invasion force!

Mew shook her head and tried to clear it... but ultimately failed...

...

...

The birds were going to war!

...

...

They had to be stopped!...

It was as simple as that.

Somehow, she didn't know how yet, but what she did know was... that they had to be stopped.

:: Ma'am!... All reports suggest the Fearows are preparing to attack the human nests within the next hour:: the Pidgey confirmed.

'Shit!' there was no other word for it... the situation was critical. And to make it even worse...that bloody dragon was still out there somewhere as well, she reminded herself.

She couldn't handle this on her own.

She was after all only one pokémon, legendary or not, it did not matter.

What the bloody hell am I supposed to do? In all her years she had never been confronted with such a situation.

Even she couldn't be in two places at once.

'Damn birds! Don't they realise what will happen if they do that?' Mew wondered, dismayed.

It was an unspoken order to all pokémon. An unspoken rule which all pokémon obeyed. Pokémon did not attack large human settlements. Towns, cities...it didn't matter.. It just wasn't done. And while Spearows were well known to 'molest' trainers and even attack a small farm house or two, from time to time - in very rare situations they even attacked villages but they quickly retreated as soon as possible -... attacking towns and cities was unthinkable.

It wasn't done for several good reasons.

Beside the fact that getting the attention of humans, in a negative way, was generally a bad idea... Human towns were filled with trainers (or worse), all of which had several, sometimes highly trained pokémon per trainer. These pokémon were nearly always far stronger than their wild counterparts.

Pallet town, in particular, being the home of the famous Oak research laboratory, one of the most important research stations in the pokémon world...not to mention a league starting point -and a few other things,- was filled with hundreds of these trained pokémon.

Secondly, if that wasn't enough as a deterrent...some important human settlements, like Pallet town, even had a poké powered physic shield which could be raised to keep wild pokémon out at any moment, for hours if needed.

Finally, in the highly unlikely event that even that should fail, some towns had a local town guard...elite trainers paid by the council, specially trained and equipped with all the latest gadgets, to protect the human town against all threats. Hell, some of these even had real guns... and everybody, human and pokémon alike knew what that meant.

Attacking a human town was simply not worth it, no matter the reason. It simply wasn't done. In short, it was suicide.

However...against all reason, here was a huge flock of Spearows and Fearows doing just that.

What were those idiot birds thinking? Mew wondered.

::How many of us are there?:: Mew asked, ::And drop the 'Ma'am,':: she added, already expecting the worst.

::Ten of us in this flight...and...:: Here the bird hesitated briefly as if unwilling to continue. ::...Way too few overall to be a threat to them:: the Pidgey finally finished, weakly.

::How many?:: Mew asked again.

The Pidgey flinched.

::Spare no details. How many!:: Mew ordered, repeating the question.

::One thousand and sixty... give or take a few. Most of these are Pidgey's and this is the absolute maximum we will be able to prepare in time on such sort notice... and this would also leave our roosts nearly completely undefended:: the Pidgey replied nervously.

Left unsaid was the fact that if they failed -and they would certainly fail if they attacked with out backup... or a miracle- they would then also be forced to give up this whole area of the forest as it would become indefensible.

In short they were screwed! Yes..No doubt about it. They were well and truly plucked and screwed!

This battle was already lost, long before it would even begin. Considering that a normal Spearow outclassed a Pidgey and a Fearow normally outclassed a Pidgeotto...with only a Pidgeot (usually) being stronger than anything else in the skies...well, there was no easy way to say it...

They were well and truly 'plucked and screwed all over'.

::What in the name of Arceus's many arms was going on here?:: Mew asked herself again, true fear in her eyes for the first time in ages.

This was not normal. It was as if something had riled up the whole Fearow and Spearow population. But why...and how?

She paused and for a second even paled.

Could this possibly be Suecra's fault? she asked herself.

Well... It was possible, though she really hoped not. But this was right up his alley and definitely something the old dark pokémon god would do.

If yes, if he really was involved in this, then there was a high, almost definite possibility, that Pallet would soon be lost.

Oh who was she kidding! If the mad god really was behind it, then Pallet WAS already lost.

A legendary she may be... but even she, one of the oldest...one of the originals...could not possibly be expected to fight thousands of fanatic Spearows and Fearows on her own...or Arceus forbid one of Suecra's harbingers. Especially not if they were also given a power boost by the Evil pokémon god...and they usually were.

Hell, even without the power boost - if any - the current number of Pidgeys and Pidgeotto's would not be enough.

The anxious Pidgey beside her stayed quiet. It was clear he had no answer to her final question.

'OK...stay calm and think...' Mew mumbled to herself.

'There has to be a way to save that town...'

And she could not forget about that blasted dragon either.

Damn it! Was that dragon really more important than a town?

The answer was probably still yes.

No...not probably...but definitely yes!

If it was more important than her...then it was also more important than the town.

Mew sighed.

This was hopeless...but she still had to try!

As a legendary, it was her duty to at least try to help and keep the balance between humans and pokémon.

Besides, she currently had no idea where the dragon was anyway... so she might as well help out while she was in the area.

Her choice made, Mew started to give out a few orders.

::Ok...listen up...I'm changing this flights mission, all other missions are herewith rescinded until further notice. Effective immediately...::

Immediately the Pidgey gave her its full undivided attention.

::I am ordering you and the rest of your flight to gather everybody you can find... doesn't matter if it's a one legged blind Pidgey...a mundane pidgeon or even an old geaser of a blind hamster... if it can fight...even if only a little... I want it...and I want it yesterday:: she said grimly.

::Ma'am?:: the Pidgey said its eyes opening wide in surprise. They weren't really about to attack the Fearows and Spearows...were they? That would be certain suicide.

::Spread the word! They want a war...well I won't lie, we will not win this battle...but as long as I fly and breath, we will darn well win the war... and while we are at it we will do our damnedest to give them hell until our final dying breaths.

Hearing this the Pidgey's eyes widened even more.

They were!

But that was madness!

::Make no mistake...our mission is not to win...instead it is to give the humans enough time to escape... because, if they don't...well let's not get to that... :: Mew said shivering briefly at the taught of what the humans response would be if the inhabitants of Pallet town were killed.

Mew knew...if the Fearows and Spearows were not stopped...well, it would not be pretty.

Say what you want about the humans...but they knew how to fight...and if it came to all out war, well...

Pokémon or not, in the end it would not matter.

In this endeavor, being unsuccessful was simply not an option.

A few more hastily barked out orders later, each of the ten birds flew away in different directions... the mission was clear.

Gather anybody able to fight.

The whole forest was going to war.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Somewhere in the forest,<strong>_

Gary Oak, grandson of the famous Professor Oak whistled a merry little tune to himself as he walked down a little, well worn, dirt path towards a little lake he knew was near by.

Seeing as he currently only had one pokémon, his caterpie, - since his real starter, a Pikachu, had left him - it was getting increasingly imperative to catch another pokémon before he could safely continue his journey through the forest.

Now, normally an official starter pokémon would have been an adequate defense against most forest dwelling pokémon. However, for Gary, it was unfortunate that the caterpie, currently his only pokémon - and coincidentally therefore also his only defense - just happened to be a bug.

Bugs, as everybody...or at least the vast majority of people knew, were weak against flying types. Indeed bugs... were food for flying types. As such they were usually not suitable...nor indeed capable of fighting against a bird. At least not without a good strategy and a lot of training.

Only an idiot...or a cruel sadistic trainer would send out a young inexperienced bug to fight a bird.

This, obviously, was problematic. Especially in a forest where bird type pokémon were common.

Luckily, while Gary was indeed a rookie, he was in no way an idiot. That title, in his opinion, was much more suited for someone else.

It was for this reason that Gary had decided to try his luck to catch a water type pokémon, near the lake.

After living in the area for many years Gary knew of several good spots to catch water pokémon. He would now use one of these places to do just that.

If all else failed, he mused, he could always catch a Magikarp. Weak they may be...but...if trained and if a trainer had the patience to wait until one evolved...

Well, a Gyarados, the evolved form of the Magikarp...was well worth the effort.

Several minutes later, finally arriving at the lake, he headed towards his favorite spot, then after quickly preparing his rod and a little swing of the same rod, he was waiting patiently to 'catch' a pokémon.

One hour later, he was still waiting. He had several fish lying on the ground beside him...but as of yet, no pokémon.

Grumbling to himself Gary tried again. Suddenly hearing the sound of thunder, he briefly looked up at the sky and frowned. He noticed that there were a few grey clouds in the distance. With a sigh he reeled in the line for the last time and then began to pack up.

Looks like he wouldn't be catching a pokémon today after all.

'Hmph...not even a measly weak little Magikarp,' he grumbled to himself, disappointed.

"Oh well...at least dinner is secured," he said to himself, as he looked at the two 'mundane' fish he had caught.

They would make a fine meal tonight, or so he thought as he prepared the fish as best as he could, using his pocket knife to cut each fish and remove their innards, just as he had learned in the pokémon survival course.

Gary was just finishing up with the second and last fish, when he suddenly felt cold as a large shadow covered him. Slowly he looked up...and almost immediately he wished he had not.

Instantly his eyes widened in fear.

True undiluted fear!

"Oh...crap!" he cussed loudly, paling to an almost ghostly white at the sight before him.

When he woke up that morning, this was definitely not what he had expected to see anytime soon, not for a long time, if ever.

On a very fast approach, a huge flock of what had to be at least a hundred Spearows and even a good few Fearows were heading right towards him... and they did not look friendly.

A second later, turning away from the hundreds of incoming Spearows and quite a few Fearows, his two fish forgotten where they lay, he screamed, loudly and then he legged it.

* * *

><p><strong>Back with Ash, Pikachu and Destiny, a few minutes ago.<strong>

Traumatized, with bated breath and great trepidation Ash watched as the red beam of light left the safety of the pokéball to reform back into the black shiny dragon that had been caught mere seconds ago.

Now, normally he would have been happy to see a newly caught pokémon come from one of his balls. This time however was different. He was not yet ready to see this particular pokémon. Not just yet.

Random thoughts of panic flashed through his mind, haunting him by the second as his mind kept imagining the worst.

He could already picture its red glowing eyes glaring down at him again. Looking at him... studying him...

The very same eyes, of the very same dragon, which had only mere moments before, taken a very'unorthodox' interest in him in a most alarming way possible.

Not the type of interest he was looking forward to repeating any time soon... or ever for that fact.

Even worse... he couldn't move, which meant he wouldn't be able to get away if things did turn for the worst.

No, it was not the fear of getting eaten. Not anymore. Getting eaten by that pokémon was currently impossible.

The balls safety features would make sure of that.

No, what he feared was worse... much worse! At least in his opinion.

His current thoughts had him participating as a very unwilling second character in something normally only seen in an X rated horror movie.

Ash shivered and whimpered pitifully at the mere thought of what could happen once the dragon got it's claws on him.

By Arceus...he didn't even now yet if it was female!

'Oh please...please...dear Arceus...please...I promise to be a better trainer. I promise to take my studies seriously. I promise to treat all of my pokémon fairly, with great care...and kindess...just please...anything but THAT!

Ash was sure, even death would have been preferable...to THAT!

...

...

...

Better not think about it.

He had to stay positive. Especially now.

'But... what if...'

'Damn it!' I don't want to get laid! he mentally screamed.

Thankfully, Ash's increasingly dirty and humiliating thoughts were soon interrupted by the now fully reformed shape of said dragon.

Said dragon which was now facing him... Looking at him with those scary glowing red eyes.

'It's time! Nearly there now,' Ash thought. Shivering in fearful anticipation he quickly closed his eyes.

...

...

...

Ash waited.

...

..

...

And waited...

...

...

And waited some more.

Still nothing happened.

...

...

...

He frowned. 'What was taking so long!' he wondered.

Didn't it want him anymore?

It was not that he would complain if it did not. After all, he was in no way eager for what he feared might happen next. Far from it really, but... still... surely it was not polite to keep your victim or... dare he say it, future mate waiting. Was it?

**"Finally, It's about time I got caught. This should make everything so much easier," **he suddenly heard the voice of a young female child say.

'Huh!' Ash thought, surprised. Reopening his eyes a small fraction, just enough so that he could see, Ash risked a quick peek.

**"Hey Ash...I'm Destiny. Nice to finally meet you. You have no idea what I went through to find you, Ash!****" **the voice continued.

Ash blinked. "What?" came his eloquent, shocked reply as he now stared blankly at the black shiny dragon in front of him. This was definitely not what he had expected to hear or see at that moment.

Also, did that dragon just talk? he asked himself, as he eyed the dragon warily, half amazed, half unnerved by the sudden turn of events.

More importantly... was that dragon really not going to do...well...you know?

He really didn't know what to expect from the dangerous mon in front of him. He was still expected it to pounce on him any second now.

Strangely she seemed... 'tame'...and much more importantly... not horny. Thank Arceus for that!

'Strange! Dragons, especially freshly caught dragons were not supposed to be...this tame.' Not that he was complaining about that, but...

'What was going on here?' he wondered. Dragons were supposed to be the most dangerous...and the most difficult to train of all pokémon. The most unpredictable and the most resistant to a pokéballs taming effects as well.

They had been warned more than enough about that fact during trainer school... enough that even he, one of the worst of the graduating class, could clearly remember that fact. So why was this one different? he asked himself. He didn't understand.

'Could the lecturers be wrong?' he wondered. Surely not! If yes, then surely somebody would have noticed it by now.

Also...another thing! It...no...not it, but she, also seemed to know him. She had called him by his name.

But how?

He had never seen her before...he was certain of that.

He had also never mentioned his name. He was sure of that.

So how did she now his name?

This all didn't make any sense.

Come to think of it... a lot of things didn't seem to make any sense that day.

'What was going on here,' Ash asked himself again, getting more disturbed by the second.

He wasn't going crazy, was he?

Meanwhile, while she was completely ignorant to Ash's thoughts, Destiny for her part, quickly realized that she was still scaring her new trainer. (Though not for the same reason she thought and he was really more confused than scared at this point anyway)

'What did I expect...' she reminded herself. They had, after all, only just met. Sighing wearily to herself she did her best to appear as calm and friendly as possible. 'Please trust me,' she thought, willing her new trainer to trust her.

For a few seconds trainer and dragon stared at each others. Neither was sure how to react. Ash felt like a fish out of water, confused and completely unnerved at the sudden change of circumstances. This was so unreal. He didn't know what to think.

Wrongly believing that Ash had now had enough time to calm down a bit, Destiny tried to move closer, only to stop and retreat when she noticed Ash flinch and begin to struggle.

'Damn it!' she cussed to herself. This was not going as planned. This was supposed to be easy. Didn't trainers always trust their pokémon? Why was he so afraid of her, she wondered. Then again, she reminded herself, she had to remember that, no matter now friendly she might be, she was still a dragon.

'Yes, that's probably it,' she thought.

**"Look...Ash...I promise, I won't hurt you," **Destiny tried to say, doing her best to keep her voice quiet and kind, so as not to scare the boy.

'...!'

Only to be rewarded with a silent ' ... !' as Ash's stupefied answer. It seemed he was too scared to speak.

Destiny groaned. This was going nowhere!

She had to find a way to convince him that she was...harmless and on his side. But now?

Should she try licking him again like before?

A large flinch from Ash when she tried to move forward again told her all she needed to know.

'Better not,' she thought with a sigh.

This was in no way what she had expected when she had pictured herself being captured by Ash freaking Ketchum...the hero and chosen one of the anime.

Ash didn't look like a hero...

At that moment he looked like a scared little kid.

In fact...he WAS a scared little kid!

**"Look..Ash...I..."**

Another flinch.

**"Ash..I"**

*Flinch*

**"Oh, bloody hell, I'm not going to fuck... **(larger flinch)**... ing do anything to you," **she growled exasperated when she saw Ash flinch once again.

'I have no time for this,' she grumbled to herself.

At any other moment she would have patiently taken the time to wait for Ash to calm down by himself. However, she currently had other far more pressing worries to worry about at that moment. Time was not on their side. There was a dead Fearow near by and a Fearow, dead or alive, meant trouble. Big trouble!

The longer they stayed in the area, the larger the chance it was that they would soon be found.

If anything, a dead Fearow was probably even more dangerous than an alive one for the one simple fact that, any moment now they could be found by another Spearow, or maybe even another Fearow...and she was very sure... if they saw the dead bird, they would not be happy.

The fact that Ash was currently paralyzed, - and not just because of fear - had not escaped her mind either. It meant that he would be unable to run if they were found. As such time was simply not on their side and she simply didn't have the luxury to worry about Ash's fear, or even his current injuries for that matter. She had to get him...and herself out to there, asap.

If they saw the dead Fearow...well she really didn't want to think about it.

Either way, her current main...and only priority - besides somehow getting Ash to trust her - was to get Ash to safety.

If she could do that, she was sure it would greatly improve their chances of survival.

Easily said but not easily done.

The same question remained: How to gain his trust?

Unknown to her, her problem was about to solve itself.

Unknown to both pokémon and trainer, nearby, Pikachu - who had been completely forgotten by the duo - had just found Ash's pokédex which had fallen out of Ash's pants when Destiny had removed them from his person.

Curious, having seen the red machine before, Pikachu started to touch the dex to try and figure out what it did.

Meanwhile, Ash was still staring at Destiny with his mouth wide open in disbelief and shock.

'I must be dreaming...or already dead,' Ash thought. He was still trying to figure out what was happening.

It was at that moment Pikachu pressed a button on the pokédex, activating its scanning ability and against all odds, the pokédex just happened to be pointing towards Destiny.

(((Pokémon Scanned!)))...came the mechanical voice of the pokédex.

(((Unknown pokémon Detected!)))

(((No Information in current database!)))

(((Connecting to national database to retrieve information!)))

(((Limited pokémon profile found...downloading!)))

(((Download complete!)))

(((Displaying information!)))

**(((Pokémon Data:**

**Pokémon:** Unknown! (There are still many undiscovered pokémon to be found)

**Current Nickname: **None

**Former Nickname: **"I don't know'

**Pokémon Registration Number: **1332ALPHA1985G364365DELTA08

**Current Trainer: **Ashton (Ash) Gold Gotha Ketchum** Reg: **6998PAPA921ZULU4711ALPHA459005

**Other/Original Trainer(s): **One trainer found! Classified! (level 7 clearance required)

**General Information:**

No data available! (Uplink to main database required for updated information transfer)

**Evolutions:** Unknown!

Current evolutionary level: Level 1

**Height:** 4' 5" (1.35m)

**Weight:** 120 lbs

**Species:** Dragon Hybrid

**Type(s):** Dragon, Steel

**Abilities:**

Primary: Levitation

Secondary: Unknown Ability detected. _Error! Insufficient Information! There are still many abilities to be discovered!_

Other abilities: Unknown

**Gender: **Female

**Primary Weakness:** Fighting types (Provisional)

**Moves Learned:**

_(1) Agility..._

_(2) Teleport..._

_(3) Reflect..._

_(4) Recover..._

_(5) Refresh..._

_(6) __Unknown move detected! (Egg Move) Error! Insufficient Information! There are still many moves to be discovered!_

_(7) Unknown move detected! (Egg Move) Error! Insufficient Information! There are still many moves to be discovered!_

**Special notes:** This pokémon seems incapable of learning offensive moves.)))

...

After hearing this Ash and Pikachu stared at Destiny incredulously, causing her to look away warily.

For a moment all three, Destiny, Ash and Pikachu were silent as they mentally reviewed what they had just heard.

Destiny also replayed the last few words in her mind.

'Wonderful, my nickname has been removed!... Hmm, I didn't know I knew so many moves. Got to try them out later... Um...probably better if I did not...Unknown egg moves? Hmm interesting! Need to look into that later... But did it really have to say I was incapable of using offensive moves though?' she thought. She was not happy and rather embarrassed about that fact.

Ash was once again in shock.

However, this shock slowly turned in a sigh of relief.

Slowly, realising that the dragon in front of him was actually pre-trained and as such 'safe' to be around, (it was a well known fact that only wild and freshly caught, untrained pokémon - especially dragons - were dangerous and unpredictable) Ash finally began to calm down and smile again.

Slowly but surely he began to relax. It was now clear to him, the dragon...'his dragon,' would not do anything to him.

'Plus what a catch!' he mentally cheered. 'Wow!...two unknown egg moves!...and what's with that unknown ability? Amazing!'

Suddenly Ash's musings were interrupted by the sound of a second voice, this time from the Pikachu.

::Pi-Pika-chu?:: (You can't attack?) Pikachu asked surprised, an incredulous look on his little yellow face.

'What?' Ash thought, surprised. Did he just...?

::Paci, Pacifi-Dox, -Pa -ci-Pacifidox... Pici-fi-dox:: (Pikachu, you can come over here now, I think Ash is now convinced that I'm not going to eat him... or you for that matter) Destiny said giving the little Pikachu a reassuring look and a small smile, inviting the rodent to come closer. Until Pikachu had activated the pokédex she had completely forgotten about the little rodent, while she had attempted to calm down her new trainer.

Ash's eyes opening wide in astonishment. There... he had heard it again!...and incredibly... he had understood every word of what the Pikachu and the dragon had just said.

"Holy...shit!' he thought, amazed. This had never happened before. He shouldn't be able to understand them at all. This day just kept getting stranger and stranger.

::Pika-chu?:: (Is he alright?) Pikachu asked as he moved closer.

Ash just watched silently, curiously, with wide eyes. This was amazing. He really was able to understand the pokémon.

'But how?...and why?'

Not knowing about Ash's sudden life altering discovery, Destiny rolled her eyes at the stupid question, but made sure the little rodent couldn't see it. 'Of course he was not alright.' Surely the rodent could see that.

::Paci-Pacifidox:: (No he's not), she answered back.

::Pi, Pika-pi-Pikachu:: (Oh, anything I can do to help?) Pikachu asked, nervously. Even now Pikachu was unsure if it was safe for him to be there.

Ash gasped. Completely amazed, it was at that moment that Ash had finally understood what was actually happening.

It was not 'he' that suddenly understood the pokémon. He did not in fact understand anything at all. But somehow he was hearing what the dragon was hearing... and saying instead.

Flabbergasted, Ash was, absolutely stunned silent.

He was not actually able to read their thoughts... but somehow the dragon was transmitting Pikachu's words and...her own to his brain. Even now he could hear Pikachu's pika -pi -chu and the dragons Paci-ci-fi and it's translation into human speech, at the same time...in a duo echo.

Meanwhile, still not knowing about Ash's discovery, Destiny frowned. Indeed...what could Pikachu do? They had to get out of there asap, she reminded herself.

::Paci..., cifidox!:: (Ash..., can't move!) ::Pa-ci-cifi-dox!::(Go to the human town and get some help!)

Pikachu's eyes widened. ::PIKA?:: (ME?)

::Pa, Ci!:: (Yes, You!)

::Pika!...Pi-pika-chu-pika-chu::(No way!...I'm not going anywhere near that place)

Destiny scowled. ::Pac-cifi?:: (Why not?)

::Pika-pi-pi-pika-pi!... Pik-pika chu!:: (They will catch me for sure!...I'm not going back into a ball!)

Destiny sighed. 'Didn't Pikachu know that he couldn't be caught again once he's...already...cau...?'

'Unless...'

'Oh!'

::Paci... Cifi-pa-Cifi-dox?:: (Pikachu...have you been caught?) Destiny asked, hesitantly.

::Pika, pika-chu!...Pi, Pika-chu:: (No, of course not!...well, I was but not anymore)

::Paci:: (I see.)

'Great! Just what she needed, she groaned, mentally. 'This will make everything so much more difficult!' she thought.

Up until that moment Destiny had believed that Pikachu had already been caught, not by Ash, but by Gary. She had after all seen him with Gary a few times. It had been surprising that Gary was not with him. At least now she knew why.

::Pa-ci...dox...Pacif-ici-fici...Pa-cifi-dox:: (Alright...Listen... I will go and get help myself...in the meantime guard Ash.) she ordered.

::Pi...Pika-chu?:: (What...why should I?)

Destiny paused... indeed, why should he? It was not like Pikachu owed Ash or her anything...nor was he captured yet. Well...not anymore. So he didn't have to obey if he didn't want to.

Destiny realised that there was literally no reason for Pikachu to help, especially not when his life would be on the line.

For a few seconds Destiny didn't know what to do. How could she possibly convince the yellow rodent to risk himself for Ash?

Suddenly her eyes widened as she got an idea.

Of course... It was a gamble but maybe that would work.

::Pa-ci-ci...Ci-fi-dox...Paci...Cifi-dox-pacifi. Paci,-cifi-paci -Pa-fidox...Paci-pacifi-Par-cifidox (You're right...you have no reason to...however...I beg that you do. Please, It's vitally important that you protect Ash...It's what Arceus would want you to do it!) she suddenly said.

::Pika?:: (What?) "What?", both Pikachu and Ash said at the same time. Neither of the two pokémon noticed that Ash had spoken.

Destiny sighed and decided to go for broke.

::Paci-fi-cifi-dox Pacifi-cifi, cifi-Pacifidox::: (Arceus gave me a mission and if you don't help, I will fail and the word will be in danger.)

Pikachu's and Ash's eyes widened in disbelief. Did the dragon just say what they thought she had said.

Did the dragon really just say that she was on a mission for Arceus from Arceus himself?

::Pika-Chu?:: (Arceus said that?)

::Paci!:: Yes!..

Pikachu frowned. ::Pika-Pi!:: (Swear on it!) ::Pika-pika Pi-Pika chu!::(Swear on your honour as a pokémon), Pikachu demanded. This was the big moment as far as Pikachu was concerned.

It all depended on what happened next.

::Pa...Pa-fi-ici-Pacifi-dox!:: (I...I swear it on my honour as a pokémon) Destiny said, not realising for a single second the full meaning and consequences of the words she had just said.

Pikachu gulped and went pale. That did it. This had just become the real deal. No pokémon would ever dare swear on their honour as a pokémon and not mean it. At least not when it concerned Arceus. He no longer had a choice. Not anymore. Well he did, he could refuse... but... he would need a very good reason. Like being captured and therefore unable to disobey his master. It was an ancient unspoken pokémon rule that nearly every pokémon knew and obeyed. Passed down from pokémon to pokémon for as long as any pokémon could remember. If a pokémon who had received a task from Arceus himself asked for help, while also swearing on their honour as a pokémon that they had indeed received such and order from the god...then all pokémon were honour bound to help that pokémon with that task.

Any pokémon that did not do so without a very good reason would be branded as a traitor and then shunned by the rest. Also, if a pokémon swore and lied about it, 'they' would be the ones branded and exiled instead.

It was that serious!

For a brief moment Pikachu wished that he was still captured, but dismissed the idea quickly.

He would not hide like a coward. Not again! Not this time.

No!...he didn't have a choice. If it was true - and he had no reason to believe otherwise - he would have to help. He HAD to help.

Pikachu sighed. ::Pi-Pika-chu::(Tell me everything) he said resigning himself to his fate.

And so Destiny did. She left nothing out.

For the next ten minutes she quickly told both, Pikachu - via poké speech - and Ash - via the mind link, thought she didn't know about that -, about her former life, her meeting with Arceus, her new birth and the mission Arceus had given her: the fact that she was to become Ash's pokémon to help him save the word by his side... She even mentioned the fact that she and Ash were Arceus's chosen ones.

At this point she was interrupted because Ash had fainted (though she didn't know why) and because Pikachu was frozen in shock, eyes open so wide that his eyes would have popped out had they been able to.

Needless to say, by the end Pikachu was more than willing to trust Destiny and do whatever was necessary to help and protect Ash while Destiny was away.

Not for a second did Pikachu doubt Destiny's story.

Her story just had to be true.

A short while later after Pikachu had recovered enough from his shock to be responsive (Ash was still out cold) she finished with...

::And so, this is why it is vitally important that you protect Ash any way you can...even with your life while I'm away:: Destiny finished speaking. She really hoped she hadn't set her demands and expectations for the little rodents too high.

Pikachu simply nodded. What else could he do. ::Pika!... Pika-chu. Pika pika pi!:: (Go!.. find some help. I promise I'll look after him.) he promised.

Relieved, Destiny nodded. She would need it.

Happy that Ash would have at least some protection while she was away, she wasted no more time. Not giving Pikachu a chance to change his mind, she gave a quick nod to trainer and rodent and then hovered away as fast as she could... one mission, one goal on her mind...

Find help!

Any help... any trainer, would do. Once they saw her she was sure they would follow her and try to capture her. It's what any trainer would do when they see a new unknown pokémon. She would then lead them to Ash.

Hopefully she wouldn't be away for too long.

She only hoped she would not be too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Not that far away, at a certain lake, that very moment.<strong>

It was now over ten minutes ago since Gary first saw the incoming flock of Spearows and Fearows.

Ten minutes of absolute hell, filled with sweat and even tears, running as fast as he could physically manage, away from the birds.

It would not be an overstatement to say that he was dog tired. The last time he had run this much was during the ten kilometer race he had participated in while training for his pokémon license.

'Thank Arceus for that,' he thought. He may have hated it at the time, but his training was really paying of now. Without the current level of stamina he had gained during his training, the damn birds would have caught up to him several minutes ago.

'Never thought I'd actually feel grateful to the sadist. If I survive this, I'm sending him a thank you present,' Gary thought, thinking of the fitness trainer he had had - and had absolutely despised - during his training.

As it was, he was already huffing and puffing and he was only barely staying ahead of the brutes. If Gary were honest, - not that he would ever admit it out loud - he knew he would not be able to last for much longer.

He had used the limited cover of the trees and bushes to gain a little headway and as a means to hide from the birds, but he knew he could be seen again at any moment.

To think that all he had wanted that day was to have an easy start on his pokémon journey. But it had all started to go wrong the moment he had received that blasted Pikachu.

What should have been the start of a successful journey, had instead turned into an absolute nightmare, filled with pesky brutal birds who were all out to get him.

And he didn't even know why!

As far as he knew he had done nothing to anger them, so why were they after him...and why in such large numbers?

What was up with those ridiculous numbers anyway? he wondered.

If he didn't know better he'd think they were at war... But that wasn't right...was it?

Gary was now nearing another lake. Only one more kilometer he thought and he should be able to see it.

One minute later he was beginning to wheeze. If he didn't find a way to escape soon it would't be the birds that did him in... but his over stressed heart...and lungs instead.

As if his prayers were answered it was at that moment that he saw a most wonderful sight...

Resting on a tree was a brand new bicycle.

'Oh thank you Arceus,' he thought as he saw it. To Gary, at that moment it was like the greatest gift imaginable to human kind. Like a gift from the god himself.

Not caring whom it belonged to, thinking that at that moment he was fully justified to stea..er..borrow it - it was after all an emergency -, Gary grabbed it, mounted it and then began to cycle away.

It was only when he was already on the bike and half a kilometer down the path that the owner, a girl from Cerulean city by the name of Misty, noticed his dastardly deed. But by then it was already too late, leaving said owner to the mercy of the incoming birds.

* * *

><p><strong>Pallet town, that very moment<strong>

Meanwhile, at Oaks Laboratory the situation had developed into a state of controlled chaos.

For the past few hours Professor Oak had been kept busy keeping a strict look at the weather, while all around him his aids were hectically running to and fro packing up all of the many items, gadgets and computers that could be found all over the lab, moving said items into the labs underground emergency bunker, as they prepared for the incoming storm.

All around them pokémon of different types and sizes could be seen helping out in anyway they could.

The equipment would be safe in the bunker. He was certain of it. It was after all built specifically to last a nuclear strike if need be, as such the storm should not be able to do anything once it arrived. Sadly the same could not be said for the lab itself.

'At this rate the storm will reach us in little more than a few hours,' the professor though grimly, a very worried and sad look on his face, as he thought of all the trainers that had left the town earlier that morning.

He had sent a search party out to look for them, but so far only one of them had returned with a few of the late starters. As it was, he was getting worried about the other search teams as well at this point.

At least the hurricane had since then been downgraded to a strong storm. The first good news he had received all day since the storm had been sighted. If it hadn't... well...he really didn't want to even think about it.

But even so, it was still strong enough that it could...and no doubt would do a lot of damage. So much so in fact that it would soon be unsafe to go outside.

Oh he really hoped they would all be ok.

He sighed. They had barely enough time to secure all the buildings in the town and to evacuate the citizens of Pallet town into their underground basements, just in case the storm decided to get worse again.

How could this...storm have been missed anyway? he wondered as he shut down the final active laptop and disconnected it from one of the last machines that needed to be moved to safety. He had just finished transferring the last of the 'not needed' pokémon to the pokémon resorts in Hoenn and Johto.

The storm had appeared so suddenly, out of nowhere that it had taken him and the other professors, as well as all the local weather experts completely by surprise. That was not supposed to happen...ever!

It was as if something had created the storm out of nothing, just for them. But that couldn't be true, could it? And if yes...then why?

There was no reason for such an overwhelming aggressive act. Or was there? Oh, this was so frustrating.

He was just thankful that both Professors Birch and Elm had agreed to take in his many pokémon until the storm had passed. At least he hoped it would still be possible for them to be returned once the storm had finally gone away again.

At this rate, with all the continuous trouble they had been having in the past few months, with the birds...and now the storm, Pallet town was actually in danger of being demoted into a simple coastal town... and his lab removed to another town instead.

All that was needed was just one more incident and Oak was sure it would finally happen.

Noticing that the last machine was now also being transported out of the room by four machamps, Professor Oak sighed again sadly. He seemed to be doing that a lot that day.

"What a disaster," he mumbled to himself as he turned off all of the lights in the now barren room and closed the door behind him. 'At least they would already be packed and ready for the move if it did happen,' he thought trying to look on the bright side. It didn't make him feel any better.

"At least it can't possibly get any worse at this point,' he mumbled to himself. Only to immediately wish he had kept his mouth shut, because just at the very moment he finished that sentence the towns proximity alarm started to go off.

*aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo!*... *AaaaarrrrooooOOOOOOOOOOO...!*

"Oh...bugger me!...looks like I spoke too soon," he said with a groan. This was it...this was the last straw. Pallet town was doomed. He just knew it.

Walking quickly to see what was happening, he was quickly intercepted by a very frightened trainer.

"WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" the trainer roared in obvious panic.

The professor sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. 'Why do they always panic,' he wondered.

"Calm down...take a deep breath and when you're ready tell me what happened," he said in the calm voice he was well known for.

"Sp...sp..spear...Spearows!...thousands of them!" the trainer barely managed to stutter, shouting out the word Spearows, before he then continued to run away.

The professor raised his eyebrows. Surely he must have been exaggerating. There was simply no way...

He was about to dismiss it as the simple rambling of a scared and over stressed civilian, when he heard more shouts of panic originating from outside.

Suddenly he grew pale.

Could it be?

'Oh no!' It just got real!

Suddenly losing his famous cool, he quickly walked to a nearby window and promptly froze in absolute horrified gob-smacking shock.

Nothing could have prepared him for this.

Stretching all across the sky was a large black cloud of death. Incoming at a fast pace, was a sight which would have made Alfred Hitchcock green with envy.

The trainer had not been exaggerating after all, as he had at first thought. Not at all!

He could hear them now. There were thousands of them. No doubt about it. Even a blind man would know by now...by the sound of incoming wings.

Seeing - and hearing - that his greatest fear was about to come true, the professor cursed loudly for the umpteenth time that day. (Before that day he had not cursed once for over ten years, the last time being when Ash's father had left his wife and son and never returned.) Then, with a manic look of near panic on his face he turned around and ran straight towards the one and only thing he knew could possibly save them now. If only for a little while.

It was a race against the time. He could not fail!

One thought was on his mind.

Oh, he knew it would not last for long.

He knew it would only buy them some time.

He knew it would fail in a prolonged battle...especially against such overwhelming odds.

But...it was all they had against almost certain doom. Against such overwhelming hate!

He had to get to and activate the towns shield.

It was their only hope.

If he did not...

Then all would be lost.

And then they would all surely die!

* * *

><p><strong>High above in the sky<strong>

Thousands of birds, Spearows and Fearows alike were incoming for a direct attack.

All had one goal in their minds...

Their target... the human town of Pallet.

In the middle of the massive flock of angry birds, a massive shiny Fearow nearly six time the size of any other Fearow could clearly be seen flying in all of his majestic ferociousness.

At seven meters height this truly was a magnificent... and terrifying sight.

Two yellow, glowing defiant eyes of hate looked down at the town below and gave a mocking beak like smirk.

Nothing would stand in his way, it thought as it started to accelerate even more.

Today... would be the beginning of the end.

Nothing would stand in his way.

He, the harbinger of the almighty true god Suecra would see to that.

Today...the humans would feel his coming wrath.

Today...

The war...begins today!


End file.
